The Wager
by IshipALLTHETHINGS
Summary: Another Day of the Dead is finally here. La Muerte goes to the land of the living and is shocked to see Maria, the jewel of the town, unsatisfied with her marriage with Manolo. Another wager is struck and La Muerte finds herself falling hard for a human. 1 year after movie! Main ship: Maria X La Muerte (kind of slow burn) but there is another :)
1. The Day of the Dead

It was a clear night that was brightened by thousands of candles. Families gathered around various tombstones as they placed plates overflowing with food for their ancestors. Small children ran and screamed in delight as they chased one another in a game of tag. Adults bowed their heads and prayed, feeling their deceased family come up from the Land of the Remembered to visit them for that one night out of the year. All around were smiles and celebrating. Everything was so colorful and lively in a field filled with death.

La Muerte smiled from her spot on the roof of the church as she watched a dog join in the game of tag with the children. She laughed behind a raised hand as one of the children had tried to tag the dog, succeeding only when he baited the creature with a churro. The poor thing was confused as the children ran away from it, but after a moment it barked in joy as it chased the one who had tagged him. La Muerte suspected that it was more out of the desire to get more churros than the joy of playing the game.

A scoff was heard from behind her. "Really my dear. Why do you find such squealing creatures amusing?"

The smile only grew but she kept her eyes on the game of tag as she answered the presence behind her. "Come now Xibalba, it is the Day of the Dead. The children are only celebrating the only way they know. They're living."

A humph was her only reply and La Muerte turned her head to look at her husband. Xibalba leaned against his two headed snake staff, his eyes watching the children with a look akin to puzzlement. La Muerte giggled at the expression and got up from her sitting position. She more floated than walked to his side and entwined their arms. She felt Xibalba tense for a moment before leaning into her touch with a barely audible sigh of content.

"I simply do not understand the appeal to children. They screech like a banshee if they get a scraped knee, they need to be constantly looked after, and they know nothing of manners." Xibalba shook his head in distaste as his black wings ruffled behind him.

"They also smile at even the most simplest of gestures, they are so filled with potential, and they do not know of the hardships of this world," La Muerte replied. When Xibalba grunted in disagreement, she reached up with her free hand and stroked his face in a way that would make him agree with anything she said. She smirked at the way he followed her hand when she began to pull it away.

"See mi amor, children aren't so bad." She nodded towards the group who were now sharing food with one another. They gave the dog most of the food and the creature's tail would not stop wagging. La Muerte smiled at the scene and with a discreet wave of her hand, a bone appeared in front of the dog. It yipped in shock at the sudden appearance of magic but quickly dove for the treat. The children were thankfully too busy talking to one another to notice the bone manifesting.

"Hmm," Xibalba hummed noncommittally, still dazed by La Muerte's display of affection. He smiled at his wife, completely unaware of his surroundings.

La Muerte laughed as she rolled her eyes. _He is simply too easy,_ she said in her head. Her eyes wandered back over the festivities. After a second, she focused on a statue of a man a little ways away from the main part of the cemetery. She knew that the statue was not there a year prior and wondered for a moment who it could possibly be. The statue was very short and had some sort of round body that indicated the man had a hunchback when he was alive. She tilted her head to the side as she saw a figure dressed in black bow its head and bend over to rest a bouquet in front of the statue's feet. The figure was very much unlike the other people, this one preferring silence and gloom rather than celebration.

"Maria?" La Muerte knew that the young woman's father had passed recently and that the town and had made him a statue as a tribute to his dedication to the safety of San Angel. She glanced at Xibalba who finally realized where he was and was now watching the woman as well.

Together, they materialized into a cloud of magic to get a better spot: La Muerte a breeze of marigold pedals; Xibalba an inky shadow.

They stopped on top of a dome of some mausoleum. They paid their respect to the ancestors by making flowers spring out of the ground around the stone building, or rather La Muerte did. Xibalba only scoffed at the irritated ancestors. With one glare, he forced the dead to back away without any more complaints.

La Muerte frowned at her husband and turned her attention back to Maria.

Maria smiled sadly at the statue. "Hola Papa. It's me, Maria. I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you as often as I probably should but-" she paused as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "Oh papa," she cried, "I-I think I made a mistake in marrying Manolo."

La Muerte and Xibalba shared a shocked glance before looking back at the grieving woman. Neither of them were expecting this.

"I j-just don't l-love him and I know he d-doesn't love me," Maria sobbed. She angrily wiped away the tears before she continued. "I just - oh papa I'm so al-alone!"

La Muerte felt sympathy for the young woman; from the sound of her voice, she guessed that Maria was holding this in for a long time. She glanced at her husband. Xibalba looked uncomfortable as he witnessed the woman's break down. Strangely, he was the first to say anything.

"Come mi amor, let her have her peace." He turned away and morphed into a cloud of inky shadow, zooming his way back to the church roof.

La Muerte prepared to follow his lead but someone coughed to get her attention. She looked down to see the ghost of General Posada looking pleadingly up at her. "Please my lady, can I tell mi hija that I am with her?"

La Muerte smiled sadly and shook her head. "We do not belong in this world, Dali Posada. We can allow them to feel our presence for this day but they cannot see us. I'm sorry." And she meant it. She knew that Maria only wanted some company but she could not bend the laws again. Not so soon after last year.

Posada gazed at his weeping daughter and sniffed. "If I ever get my hands on that boy, I'll-" He stopped talking and walked over to Maria, placing a hand on a shuddering shoulder that will not be felt. He looked back at La Muerte. "Surely you can do something? My child does not deserve such pain."

La Muerte thought for a moment and sighed. "Life can be really hard for the living. I swear that I will see if I can do anything to ease her burden." She bowed her head. "Goodbye General Posada."

She did not wait to hear the dead man's words. She left in a cloud of marigold flowers and materialized next to Xibalba. She noticed that the god was looking anywhere but the direction of Maria. She placed a hand on his arm. "Are you okay, Xibalba?" she asked.

"You seem saddened by the girl's predicament," he said carefully. He still did not look at her.

La Muerte furrowed her brow. "And you are not?" She looked down at the celebrating people. "It is our fault that she is feeling the pain she is now."

It was Xibalba's turn to look confused. "How so?"

"That wager we made long ago, about who will take Maria's hand in marriage. Perhaps we shouldn't have." La Muerte sighed, her shoulders sagging under the sudden weight of her actions.

Xibalba raised his eyebrows in shock. "Even if we hadn't, Manolo would have married the girl. It was inevitable," he reasoned.

La Muerte shook her head after considering the god's words. "We can never know for sure though. We interfered with their lives, used them as pawns for some stupid bet! Xibalba, what if Maria was never meant to marry either of those two boys?" She looked at Maria's silhouette in shame and panic. "We could have very well robbed her of her chance at True Love."

Xibalba did not look convinced. "Who could she possibly have married if it wasn't Manolo or Joaquin? Face it dear, you are simply too excitable these days."

La Muerte frowned at the lack of sympathy from the lord of the Land of the Forgotten. She knew that the time he spent ruling such a wasteland had hardened his heart but she could not believe he was acting so callous.

He seemed to notice the change of mood with his wife as Xibalba cleared his throat a moment later. "What I meant to say is, the girl would most likely have wound up with one of the boys. I bet you that if we were to take a look at the Book of Life then it would have clearly shown Manolo and Maria getting married!"

La Muerte looked appalled and Xibalba retreated a step, ashamed of himself as if he brought up a taboo subject. After a moment La Muerte shrugged her shoulders as she looked over at Maria, the burst of anger giving way to sadness. "We will never know now," she said. "Manolo erased his predestined story and wrote his own. Because of us."

Xibalba's eyes darted from one family to another down below as he thought of a way to cheer up his wife. A fleeting thought entered his mind of telling La Muerte that some people do not have stories set in stone for them but threw it out a moment later. This will only serve to make her more upset. He smiled suddenly when an idea came to his mind. "Are you so sure about that?" he said, his voice becoming as smooth as honey.

La Muerte glanced at him, her face warning him to think his words very carefully. She knew that tone of voice and when he spoke like that, he wanted to-

"How about we have another little wager?"

\- have a bet of some sort. She scowled at the smiling god, the candles that adorned her dress and sombrero flaring up and her eyes glowing with the force of a small sun. "I just told you that we should have never made that wager and you ask me for another one." Her words were calm but her eyes did not lose their luminescence.

Xibalba smiled, apparently unaffected by his wife's display of displeasure. "Yes. I wager that you cannot make that girl happy again."

La Muerte narrowed her eyes, not believing what she had just heard. She barely noticed that the flames of her candles receded to their natural height and her eyes dimmed to their normal luminescence. "What did you just say?"

Xibalba's smile grew. "I said I bet that you cannot make that Maria girl happy again."

She thought over the words, wary to the fact that she was starting to like this idea of Xibalba's. "And if I do?"

His smile turned triumphant. "If you win then," he trailed off, thinking of something not that important for him to lose but something that would keep his wife interested. He frowned when he found the perfect gamble. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he decided.

 _This is to make her happy,_ he thought.

"If you win then I will not interfere with the lives of men. For only one century mind you!" he added hastily.

La Muerte blinked slowly as Xibalba told her of her possible winnings. "You swear? No meddling with the affairs of men for an entire century?"

The god nodded, making sure that his wife knew just how reluctant he was.

"And if I lose?"

Xibalba's smile returned however it turned much darker. "Then I get the Land of the Remembered!" La Muerte's eyes narrowed as the flames rose up warningly. "I'm only kidding mi amor! If I win then you must allow me to at least go to one of your Day of the Dead fiestas."

La Muerte smiled as she held out a hand. "I will do you one even better. If I lose, then you can visit me every Day of the Dead and we can enjoy the endless fiestas together."

Xibalba chuckled and shook hands with his wife. "That my dear, sounds most wonderful. Good luck." He vanished away without another word, leaving La Muerte alone on the church's roof.

She shook her head in amusement before calming down. She stepped off of the roof, a cloud of marigolds making steps for her. She reached the ground and began to walk towards Maria and her father's grave. None of the people even glanced at her, she was invisible to them. When she passed a fountain, she glanced at the wall of water flowing down to meet the pool below.

No longer was she La Muerte. She was now Mary Beth. Her glowing eyes became baby blue and her long, curvy black hair turned into straight red hair that ended at her waist. Her traditional dress and hat also changed. Instead of a red dress, she wore a white shirt hidden under a blue jacket that highlighted her eyes and a white skirt that showed off her legs and black heels.

Mary made her way over to Maria and hesitated at the mausoleum. She took a deep breath before resuming her march.

Maria sniffed and did not look at the figure that was approaching her. "Manolo please, I just want to be left alone," she said with another sniff.

"I'm sorry but who is Manolo?"

Maria stiffened and looked at the woman who was watching her curiously. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and stood up. "I'm sorry, I thought you were my husband." Her breath caught on the word 'husband' and she turned her head so the stranger did not see her watery eyes.

Mary looked at the statue Maria was staring at. "He looks like a hero," she commented.

Maria smiled weakly at the other woman. "He was," she whispered. Tears pricked at her eyes but she would not allow them to fall in front of someone she did not know.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Mary said softly. She took a step closer and glanced to the left of Maria where her father stood watching them. The man looked like he did not like this turn of events but did not voice his opinion. "Can you feel him?"

Maria hesitated before shaking her head. "No. I think he might not have shown up today. He's probably disappointed in me." She blushed as she realized that she had told a complete stranger something extremely personal.

"How are you so sure?"

Maria glanced at the strange woman who had turned her head to stare at the statue. "That's none of your business." She was shocked at how cold her voice sounded.

Mary was surprised as well. She turned her head to stare at the younger woman, as if she could not believe that Maria would have the audacity to talk to her like that. Maria saw a glimmer of something that looked like admiration but she could not tell for sure. Mary nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry for prying. It's just that I just arrived here and I have no idea where anything is or who anyone is. If you like, I can leave you to grieve in peace. Although, if I may, I believe that your father would prefer if you celebrate who he was in life."

Mary turned to walk away from Maria but felt a soft hand touch her shoulder.

"No wait. I'm sorry that I snapped at you." Maria looked ashamed as she looked at the ground. "Today is the first Day of the Dead without my papa."

Mary turned around and offered a sad smile. "It gets better." She nodded towards the statue. "He doesn't seem like the kind of man who would be ashamed of his daughter."

Maria smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "I hope so. I really do." She ran her hands across her dress to buy herself some time to think of something to say. "You mentioned that you were new right?" Mary nodded with a smile. "Well, how about I show you around tomorrow as an apology?"

Mary looked confused for a moment. "You already apologized and besides, it was my fault. I shouldn't have intruded on your private moment."

Maria shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It would be my pleasure to show you around San Angel." The little light in her eyes dimmed as she added. "It would get my mind off of some things too."

Mary nodded and felt a little concerned at Maria's attitude. "Okay, where do you want to meet?"

Maria asked, "Do you know where the town's fountain is?" Mary nodded. "Great! We'll meet up there at noon."

Mary smiled a small smile. "Until then," she said. She turned around and began to walk away. After leaving Maria's eyesight, she turned back into La Muerte. She dashed to the church's roof top before anyone could see that she was there. She looked at the direction of Maria and felt relieved when the young woman did not seem to start crying again. She felt excitement bubble up inside her and she found that she could not wait until tomorrow.

The bet was on.


	2. Welcome to San Angel

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE BOOK OF LIFE OR ITS CHARACTERS

* * *

Mary sat at the fountain's ledge, waiting. Her legs swung back and forth as she fought against the looming boredom. She checked the clock on the town hall to her right. 1:32. She had been waiting for Maria for little over half an hour. She sighed and leaned back on her hands, careful that her hair did not get wet.

Maria was late. Mary thought about simply leaving the fountain and asking one of the market people to tell the younger woman that she had errands to do and that they could meet up again around the same time the next day. She knew that she would seem rude but she did not like being away from the Land of the Remembered for too long. Mary had confidence in most of the inhabitants to stay out of trouble but the Sanchezes were an entirely different case. She cared for the family but sometimes they gave her a migraine. She closed her eyes and sighed again, wishing she was in her true form and had the ability to summon a book out of thin air to read.

Just as she started to doze off, and getting the tips of her hair wet in the process, she heard the telltale clicks of heels walking on stones. She sat up straight and looked to her left.

Maria was approaching her with a blue leash in her hand. She was wearing her normal dress and seemed to look as she always did, even if she had the slightest hint of bags under her eyes. Chuy padded along right behind her, looking as if he was having the time of his life being out and about.

Maria stopped in front of Mary and laughed nervously. "Sorry for keeping you waiting. I woke up late today and Chuy was being a little difficult."

Chuy snorted at the accusation but his smile did not leave his face.

"Chuy?" Mary asked as she looked at the pig. She got off of the fountain's ledge and walked over to Chuy. She reached down and scratched him lightly behind his ear. Chuy gave a strange delighted bark and even a back leg was pawing at the air as a dog's would. "What an interesting animal," she said with wonderment on her face.

Chuy gave the strange bark again and lifted his head so Mary's hand was now scratching his chin. His nose sniffed a little in the air and his entire body tensed up. He looked suspiciously at Mary and gave a soft growl.

Mary's eyes widened as she realized that Chuy must have recognized her as La Muerte by her scent. She glanced quickly at Maria and almost exhaled a breath of relief, the younger woman was staring at the town hall's clock, apparently realizing just how late she was.

Mary's focus returned to Chuy as his growl increased in volume. "Shh, Chuy, I just want to help Maria feel better. Please don't tell her who I am," she whispered rapidly, aware that any moment Maria would notice that her pig was growling at her.

Chuy considered Mary for a moment and his growling stopped. With narrowed eyes, he nudged Mary's hand again.

Mary chuckled and resumed her petting. Chuy continued to look suspiciously at her but after a few seconds his back leg began to paw the air again.

"Huh, Chuy usually doesn't like strangers."

Mary almost jumped at Maria's comment, forgetting for a moment that she was there. She smiled at her and gave Chuy one final pat before straightening up. "I've always been good with animals."

Maria grinned. "Well, where do you want to go first?"

Mary shrugged. "Wherever you want to," she said.

Maria smiled and this time her eyes managed to light up only just a tiny bit. She pointed to the town hall with her thumb. It was an old building whose structure Mary was not too confident in. She wondered for a moment how the roof became slanted to the far left. "Well, for starters that is San Angel's town hall," Maria said with an air of indifference. "The only thing that gets done in there is the floors and even that only happens about once every few generations."

Mary laughed at the joke. "That's too bad. Doesn't the mayor take care of his town?"

Maria shrugged. "Not really. The brigade usually makes sure that everyone is safe and happy." The small light in her eyes dimmed.

"What else is here? Is there a library or a theater?" Mary quickly asked, she did not want Maria to dwell on unpleasant thoughts. Today was meant for exploring after all.

Maria nodded. "We do have a library but it's very rundown. You can hardly find anything worth reading in there at all! And our theater only produces puppet shows for the little ones."

Mary was frowning at this new bit of information. "Surely you have _something_ worth seeing." She felt a light blush appear on her cheeks as she realized how offensive she sounded. "I'm sorry, that sounded rude. It's just that where I come from, it was almost like there a new celebration every day."

Maria raised her delicate eyebrows. "That sounds exhausting."

Mary gave a little laugh. "Sometimes it is."

Maria thought for a while before a smile sprung up on her lips. This time, her eyes shone brightly as a destination formed in her head. "I know some places that I think you might like! Come on, if we hurry we might actually see the mariachi brothers."

Without further ado, Maria walked quickly through the crowds and Mary kept up with her, laughing softly at the sudden energy she saw in the younger woman.

After walking, or rather Maria dragging Mary along with her with enough speed that even Chuy struggled to keep up with them, they stopped in front of the church La Muerte had used as a lookout the night before. Mary almost laughed at the irony but she knew that Maria would want an explanation.

The younger woman stopped in front of the doors and looked back at Mary, her bottom lip caught in between her teeth in a sign of nervousness. "This is one of my favorite places in San Angel. The stained glasses are just beautiful when the fading sun's light streams through it."

Mary nodded with a smile. She opened one of the old doors for Maria. "Let's go in then, shall we?"

Maria returned the smile and went inside with Mary following close behind her. Mary gasped when she saw the stained glass. She could only see a hint of them in the night but midday made the windows almost too bright to look at.

The first thing that caught her attention was the portrait of herself as La Muerte. She was sitting in a golden throne as several skeletal dogs sat all around her, all of them wearing a smile. La Muerte was wearing her ever present smile as she petted one of the dogs, seemingly lost in thought. She looked like a goddess that she strived to be; pure and good.

Mary tilted her head to one side as she grinned at the glass. _Is that what people think of me?_ she wondered.

"I hear from Manolo that she is a very kind and just god."

Mary almost jumped at the sound of Maria's voice. She looked at the younger woman who was gazing at the stained glass with a mixture of awe and happiness.

"Surely you heard about her wager with Xibalba, the lord of the Land of the Forgotten. She used a man and his love for a woman to win a bet with Xibalba." Mary was almost afraid to look at Maria's face as she mentioned the bet she had made years ago when Maria, Joaquin, and Manolo were just children.

To her immense surprise and relief, Maria shrugged as if the thought that gods interfering with her affairs and essentially using her as a bargaining chip did not bother her in the slightest. "Manolo told me," was all she said. She leaned closer to Mary and whispered, "I was the woman and he was the man."

Mary feigned shock and knew she achieved the desired effect by the way Maria looked at the glass window again. She could not help but felt a slight disappointment at not being told Maria's feelings about the ordeal. She made a mental note to get the woman to tell her more about her possible misgivings.

Maria looked confused for a second before she turned her head to look Mary in the eye. "How do you know about La Muerte and Xibalba's wager?" There was a slight edge to her voice and Mary immediately put up her walls.

Chuy, who was behind Maria, stopped pretending to not listen on their conversation and looked at Mary with sympathy. He gave a soft "bey" as a way to tell Mary that he was on her side.

Mary quickly shrugged as she turned her attention back to the stained glass of La Muerte. "My apartment is above one of the bars. When I was heading up, I heard a few men talking about it over drinks. Apparently, their wager is big gossip on the Day of the Dead."

This time, Maria looked a little irritated. "Those men need to learn to keep their noses out of other people's business."

Mary nodded in agreement and felt a twinge of guilt at the fact that she was the reason there was gossip about the other woman in the first place. She turned to start heading out to escape the obvious tension but the stained glass opposite of her portrait caught her eye. She walked up to it and studied it.

Sitting in his throne made of tar was Xibalba. Unlike her, he did not smile; he glared at an empty space on the wall. His mouth was set at a permanent scowl and his wings were open behind him to cast his body in an unearthly shadow. Two snake heads peaked up from his shoulders, their fangs glistening in the sun. Overall, he looked exactly like what people thought of him: an evil ruler without an ounce of goodness in his heart.

Maria seemed to notice that Mary was staring up at the lord of the Land of the Forgotten and joined her. "Manolo says that he, on the other hand, is cruel and a cheater."

Mary looked at Maria and shook her head. "He's misunderstood, that's all," she defended her husband.

Maria did not look convinced as she shrugged while giving the window a distrustful look. "He tricked Manolo into thinking I was dead. He went to the Land of the Remembered to find me but I wasn't there just so Xibalba could rule that realm. He had single handedly screwed my life over without ever apologizing to anyone. In my book, that makes him cruel."

Mary could not think of any argument so she nodded her head slowly. She gave the stained glass of her husband one more look before she turned away. "Is there anywhere else you wanted to show me?"

Maria's dark look vanished instantly at the words. She smiled with a nod. "Oh yes, there are two more places we need to go before the day's end."

Once again Maria dragged Mary through the streets, however this time they went much slower. Maria pointed out various little shops and restaurants. There was an instance in which the young woman glared at a butcher's place that had a pen filled with pigs next to it. "Murderers," she muttered as she led Mary and Chuy quickly to get away from the shop. The pig gazed sadly at his brethren as they moved away.

They rounded a corner and Maria turned her head to look at Mary. "That was the place where I found Chuy."

Chuy barked happily and seemed to have forgotten the fate of the other pigs.

She chuckled as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I was only eight then, and my father got so upset when I gave the pigs their freedom." A sad look came over Maria's face as her voice lowered. "He sent me to Arroba to learn how to become a proper woman. I loved it there but I missed Manolo and Joaquin and everyone else so much."

Chuy looked concerned at Maria and nudged her hand with a soft bark. Without the woman's realizing, she had bent lower so she could pet Chuy. The pig leaned against Maria and gazed up at her with love.

Maria seemed to remember where she was and walked with renewed awareness. She smiled gratefully at Chuy as she patted his head. "Of course you were there to give me company."

Chuy gave another strange bark as he trotted along.

Mary grinned at the display of affection. "Did you learn to become a proper woman then?"

Maria giggled as she looked back at Mary. "Oh no. No matter what they did, the nuns could never break my little rebellious streak."

Mary joined in the laughter and even Chuy seemed to be chuckling. Well, there were consistent small "beys" as his body shook with mirth. Mary did not notice that the two in front of her had stopped until she was standing right next to Maria.

They were in front of an ancient building. It was the size of a small mansion but nowhere near as glorious. There was a missing window here and there and the bottom right corner of the building looked as if somebody had punched the bricks halfway out. All around the walls there was peeling paint, revealing yellow-aged stone underneath. The door only hung on one hinge and had a rather long crack running along the middle. In front of the building was a sign that was so worn that the words looked like mere blurs.

Even with all of these defects, there was a homey feeling to the building. Children chased each other in the front yard as a nun watched them from a wooden bench. Two girls and a boy were crawling in a patch of purple flowers next to the nun, apparently trying to sneak up on her. They failed miserably; one of the girls had sneezed right before they could lunge.

Maria giggled at the scene and looked back at Mary. "Well, what do you think?"

Mary shrugged, however a grin was on her face. "It looks rather… used."

It was Maria's turn to shrug. "Yeah but that just gives it more character." She frowned as a boy chasing a screaming girl ran past them. "Pedro! What did I tell you about chasing Megan?"

Pedro immediately slowed down and allowed Megan to escape. He wore an expression as if Maria had told him no dinner for the night. "I was just trying to play tag with her, Professor Posada."

Maria's face softened. "Well, ask her if she wants to play next time. Don't let me catch you chasing her again," she said sternly but her eyes were still soft.

Pedro nodded and smiled at Maria before taking off, presumably finding another person to chase.

Mary raised an eyebrow at Maria. "Professor Posada?"

Maria nodded with a kind smile. "I was originally only supposed to be a volunteer but one of the kids was having trouble with math. Once the nuns found out I was giving free tutoring lessons, they asked if I wanted to become a teacher and well, here I am."

"So you work here?"

Maria shook her head. "No, I'm still just a volunteer. They need every peso they can save. That door won't last another storm," she said with a frown.

Mary smiled. "It adds character."

"Oh shut up," Maria laughed. "Come on, there's one more place you have to see if you're serious about staying in San Angel."

Mary followed Maria, however she noticed with amusement that some of the children were following them until a nun had called them back. They walked in comfortable silence for ten minutes, it only being broken when Chuy sniffed at some lamp post.

Mary could see where they were going before they had arrived. They were walking towards the bull ring. She glanced at Maria and noticed that the woman kept her gaze straight ahead and her shoulders were a little stiff.

Mary frowned at Maria and wondered why Maria was not excited to see the bull ring. She knew that the woman did not like the killing of the bull but since Manolo helped changed that, she should not have any more apprehension towards the ring.

Maria took a deep breath before finally looking at her companion. "This is the bull ring. Impressive, isn't it?"

Impressive was an understatement. It was gigantic, able to hold all the citizens of San Angel and still have room for another small town. The ring itself was clearly redone. The holding pen for the bull was much cleaner and Mary expected that the living quarters for the bulls were improved as well. The wooden railing that separated the matador and the bull was replaced with sturdy metal. Movement caught her eye and she realized they were not alone.

There was a lone man in the ring. He wore a black suit that was decorated with various matador medals and skulls. He waved a red flag at a large bull with a smirk on his face. The bull pawed the ground and let out a low growl, shaking his head so that the light reflected off the metal tips on his horns.

The man seemed unperturbed at the aggressive display. He waved his red cape again. "Venga!" he yelled.

The command did the trick. The bull released a hair-raising roar and charged. It lowered its head so that the horns were pointed at the man's chest.

The matador appeared unfazed as the beast ran closer to him. At the last possible second, he stepped to the right, the bull's horn stabbing through thin air. He gave a shout of victory and dodged the bull once more.

Again and again, the bull charged the man without any needed prompting from the cape. Each time the bull lunged, the man stepped nimbly out of the way with a wry smile and a wave of his red cape.

It became apparent to Mary that the fight was almost like a dance. The bull would make a move and the matador would respond. The two were going around in intricate circles throughout the bull ring, the bull leading. The two did not hesitate for a moment with their movements, simply acting and reacting.

On the fifth circle, the man seemed to notice that he had an audience. He looked back at the bull and raised the flag high in the air. It seemed to be a signal of some sort because the bull stopped trying to charge. It sat down on its haunches, panting from the exercise, lowering his head so the horns were pointed at the ground instead of Manolo. The matador dropped the cape and the bull rose again, this time walking over to one side of the ring. Mary saw that the man began walking behind the bull and even opened a gate with his back to the beast. The bull did not take this opportunity to attack; it simply walked through the opened gate to where Mary assumed his living quarters were hidden inside the ring's walls.

The matador walked back to the middle of the ring to retrieve his cape before strolling over to the two waiting women. He smiled at them but his eyes were wary as he greeted them. "Hola Maria."

"Hola Manolo." Mary could have sworn she had detected some coldness in Maria's voice.

Manolo scratched the back of his head and seemed to be thinking of something to say and quickly. He glanced at Mary and his eyes lit up in relief as he smiled at her. "Who's your new friend?"

Mary smiled back and held out a hand. "My name is Mary Beth. I'm new here and your wife was nice enough to show me around."

Manolo's smile faltered for a moment at the word 'wife' and he glanced at Maria. Mary followed the glance and saw Maria's frown. Chuy stopped sniffing around Manolo's shoes to look between the married couple with concern on his face. When Maria realized that they were both looking at her, she erased the frown.

"Oh yes," Maria said. "I showed her the chapel and the orphanage."

"I'm surprised you didn't show her the library." Manolo's joke did not earn a laugh from either women, however Mary looked more interested while Maria simply shrugged.

Mary glanced between the two and could practically hit the tension between them. "Maybe you could show me the library now? Even if it is rundown." she asked hopefully, wanting to escape the suffocating atmosphere, even if it meant spending hours trying to find a book that was readable.

Chuy barked in agreement and even jumped on the spot once. He ran to the edge of the ring, tugging the leash once in his excitement.

"No," Maria responded. "It's getting late, the library is probably closed now."

Manolo coughed and once again scratched his head as he tried to find another topic for them to talk about. He glanced up and saw the sun almost touching the horizon. "Well, I got to go. I have a – uh – meeting with a dear friend."

Maria rolled her eyes when she thought that Mary was not looking. Manolo all but ran from the two women but he was not fast enough. "Have fun with your friend Manolo," Maria called. Mary was surprised when she caught sight of the small smirk on Maria's lips.

Manolo stopped retreating and looked back at his wife. Mary was even more shocked to see guilt on his face as he nodded. "Yeah," before he resumed walking out of the bull ring.

Mary and Maria stood there awkwardly with Chuy silently observing them. "Um…" Mary said.

Maria sighed and offered a half-hearted smile. "Sorry about that. Manolo and I are" she searched for the right words, "having a bit of trouble right now."

Mary nodded in understanding. "My husband and I are like that too." She knew that she said the wrong words the second they were out of her mouth. "Our – uh – disagreement is actually why I'm here now."

Maria appeared to be shocked at learning that Mary was not only married but having marriage issues. She spoke almost shyly to her. "No – we're not – I mean that he – what I mean to say is," she let out a frustrated breath, "Manolo's just being difficult."

"About what?" Mary's words seemed to make things even worse. Maria's eyes glanced at Chuy as if asking him to help her out.

Maria shook her head. "Nothing that can't be solved, he's just in a tight position right now." She made a gesture to the exit. "Shall we go?"

Mary nodded and followed the woman out. Chuy padded alongside her with still with a concerned expression. "Does his tight position involve his friend?"

Maria jumped at the question. "W-well yes but-" she ran a hand across her dress to straighten imaginary wrinkles, "it's nothing bad per say. Manolo's just scared about nothing." She gave Mary a grin and this time her eyes did light up a little.

"Are you sure that it's not bad?" Mary had a sinking suspicion that Maria was not telling her something important.

"Yes, people just tend to overact." Maria stopped walking and clasped her hands together in front of her. She looked around at the different streets. "So, where are you staying?"

Mary was not expecting the sudden change in topic. She pointed in a random direction. "A few blocks that way."

Maria followed the direction Mary was pointing with her eyes and nodded. "Okay." She made a move to start heading that way.

"No thank you," Mary said quickly, "I can go by myself just fine." Maria looked a little hurt by the rejection. "We can meet up again at the fountain next weekend if you aren't busy."

Maria looked happy at the offer. "Of course. We can have lunch at one of the restaurants I showed you today. Have a good night Mary. Come on Chuy."

Chuy gave Mary a happy bark and followed Maria as she walked away. Mary watched the two with a small smile. Once they were out of sight and she made sure no one was watching her, she turned back to La Muerte.

She felt herself smirk as her mind rattled off the possibilities of what Manolo and Maria were hiding. It was quite obvious that fixing Maria's marriage would be extremely difficult for her to achieve. But if there was one thing to be said about La Muerte, it is that she always loved a good challenge.


	3. An Afternoon with new Friends

Author's notes

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE BOOK OF LIFE OR ITS CHARACTERS!

* * *

Mary rounded a corner as she headed towards the fountain that she had been resting on while waiting for Maria at their previous meeting. She was humming a random tune softly to herself as she walked in a brisk pace. She found that she had been looking forward to lunch with Maria ever since she returned to the Land of the Remembered. Maybe now she could get some answers to the questions that buzzed around her head for a day now.

The fountain was in her sight and she grinned when she saw that Maria was already there sitting on the ledge, reading a book with a thoughtful frown. She walked over and almost chuckled at how Maria did not even know of her presence, too engrossed in her novel.

"Buenos tardes Maria," Mary said warmly. She could not hide the bubble of laughter that escaped her when Maria jumped in surprise and almost fell into the fountain's water. When she succeeded in staying upright and completely dry, Maria glared at Mary. However, upon further inspection Mary noticed that Maria's eyes were alight with humor.

"Give me a warning before you scare ten years out of me!" Maria scolded Mary as if she were her teacher and Mary one of the orphan students, her book still clenched in her hands. Now that Mary was closer, she could see that it was a very worn copy.

"I will consider it," Mary said with a laugh. She sat down next to Maria and took a peek at what she was reading. She giggled when she read the cover which earned her another half-hearted glare. "The Complete Works of Shakespeare?" she asked, astonished.

"Yeah, so what? I like Shakespeare." Maria made a move to hide the book from Mary's eyes when the older woman shook her head.

"I'm not making fun of you, I swear! I like Shakespeare too." Mary nodded towards the hidden book. "What play are you reading?"

Maria looked much calmer, even a little hopeful, and brought the book back into view. Her fingers played with the bookmark that she still had in her hand as she answered. "I'm reading King Leer. It's my fifth time, I think."

Mary sat down next to Maria and laughed a little. "I have to admit that King Leer is one of my favorite plays of all time. Every time you read it, you learn something new about humanity."

"Like how creepy old men can get?" Maria asked with a shudder of disgust. She marked the page with a simple white bookmark and carefully sat the book down next to her, well away from the water's edge.

Mary laughed and shook her head. "Well yes that, but also how temptation can so easily steal a person's heart and make it black." She looked sadden for a moment but recovered with a small smile. "There's always a chance for redemption though. People just have to grasp it. King Leer unfortunately, didn't see it until it was far too late."

Maria considered the other woman's words for a minute. She nodded in agreement as she glanced back down at the copy, making sure that it did not grow legs and leap into the waters below it. "I never thought of it like that before." She looked back at Mary with a slight frown. "What if a person believes that he must be redeemed but in reality he does not?"

Mary's eyebrows furrowed as she adopted a small pout, trying to understand what Maria was asking her. In the end, she gave up. "I'm sorry but can you explain a bit further?"

Maria looked down at her lap where her hands rested for a moment and then back at Mary. The older woman noticed out of the corner of her eye that Maria had begun playing with her wedding ring. "What if someone believes that they have done something wrong and seeks to be redeemed, but what they were doing wasn't wrong after all?"

Mary nodded to show that she understood Maria's question. She mulled over the possible answers in her head before she found the right one. She held it in the back of her mind as she asked, "Have you told this person that you think whatever it is they are doing is not wrong?"

"Yes but he won't listen to me," Maria said, her fingers stilling on the tenth turn of her wedding ring. She looked down sadly at it. Realizing what she was doing, Maria looked back up, a small blush covering her cheeks.

The sudden change made Mary grin with sympathy. "Then maybe you should just be there for that person," Mary said gently. "One day, he will realize that you are right and that he had nothing to fear. Until then, give them your support."

Maria seemed relieved at the answer. She got up and plucked the book from the fountain's ledge and tucked it under her arm. She held out a hand that Mary accepted with a smile. "Come on," Maria said. "Let's go have the best food you ever tasted."

Mary lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't anyone warn you not to make a promise that you cannot keep?"

The unspoken challenge brought a smirk to Maria's lips. "As a matter of fact, several people have. Now let's have the best food you ever tasted," she repeated as she started to walk away still holding Mary's hand.

Mary responded with a light laugh and the two women set off. Mary noticed that Maria seemed to have a little bounce in her step that was absent the day before. She wondered for a moment whether she had anything to do with it but quickly dismissed the thought. Maria probably had talked to Manolo and smoothed over an argument they surely had.

Maria stopped walking and waited for Mary to catch up with her. They were looking at a house-turned-restaurant that had bright red walls with a blue sign that read, "La Comida." Mary rolled her eyes at the unoriginal name although she was smiling a bit at its simplicity. There were circular tables of various sizes set up outside and most were filled with families or couples. Mary and Maria sat down at one of the smaller tables that had a good view of the market place next to the restaurant. They watched people bustle about buying this and that until a waiter came and brought them water.

"So Mary," Maria said as the waiter left to tend to a family a few tables away. "What did you do before coming San Angel?"

Mary smiled as she took a sip from her glass. "It wasn't anything really extravagant. I would probably bore you to death if I said anything," she added with a little laugh. She was buying time and she almost kicked herself for not thinking about the answer sooner. It should have been obvious that Maria would question what she did for a living.

"Oh come on, I'm sure you wouldn't bore me _that_ much." A slim eyebrow was raised as Maria adopted a small pout. "You weren't doing anything bad were you?"

"Of course not." Mary let out an exaggerated sigh that caused Maria to giggle. "Okay fine, I was a museum guide." _Not a total lie,_ she added in her head. Her stomach tightened with guilt and she took another sip of water to cool the feeling.

Maria's eyes lit up as if Mary had just told her she was a secret treasure hunter in search of the Medal of Everlasting Life. Although, she doubted that Maria would approve of that certain quest. "You were a museum guide!? Where? What was the museum's specialty? Did you display any art there?"

Mary did not expect the sudden rush of energy from the other woman. She suddenly realized that she should have picked another occupation as she scrambled to think up plausible answers. She took another sip of her water to buy herself some more time as she shrugged. "I worked for the museum in the town I lived in before moving here. Please don't ask me where, I rather not think about it," she said hastily when Maria looked like she was just about to ask that exact question. Mary shrugged again and ran her finger across the glass's rim. "We didn't really have a specialty, we had a little this and a little of that," she answered lamely.

She saw that Maria was slightly disappointed in the answers she got so she quickly added, "Although, we did have a lot of sculptures and other works of art."

Maria's attitude instantly changed. Excitement was bright in her eyes as she smiled. "Really?"

It looked like she was about to ask another series of questions when the waiter came back to their table. Maria seemed even a little sulky at being delayed asking Mary's questions. She nodded when the nervous-looking man asked if they were ready to order. "We'll have the steak fajitas with your famous salsa on the side, thank you," she said briskly to the man.

Mary raised her eyebrows at Maria's behavior towards the waiter. She attempted to revive the easy-going atmosphere they had before. "Ordering food for me now? Are you sure this is not a date?"

Maria sputtered and choked on the water she was drinking. She coughed for a minute as she flushed in embarrassment when people turned around in their seats to see what the commotion was about. They quickly went back to their meals. "What!?" she asked Mary hoarsely.

Mary passed her some napkins as she helped clean up the mess Maria had made. "Sorry, bad joke." She looked at Maria in concern. "Why were you so cold to that man?"

Maria frowned and glanced at the direction the waiter had taken when he left them. "He was watching us from across the room."

Mary gave a laugh. "Is that all?"

Maria shook her head and glared at her now half empty cup. "He looked as if this was his first time ever seeing a woman. And I have no doubt that the thoughts forming in his head are not appropriate at all"

"And the fact that he interrupted your little interrogation had nothing to do with it?" Mary rested her chin on her palm and laughed when Maria's face was once again flushed with embarrassment.

"I wasn't interrogating you!" A slowly raised eyebrow caused the blush to spread further on Maria's cheeks as she pouted. "I was just curious." She took a drink of water and managed not to choke on it. "I've been to museums in Arroba and I was wondering if yours was any different," she explained.

Mary nodded in understanding. "Well I doubt we had anything that could compare with the museums of Arroba. We do have a rather interesting looking bull sculpture. The children love it but I have to remind some from time to time not to touch it."

"Really? Did your museum focus a lot on matadors?" Maria's eyes darkened just enough for Mary to notice.

"Not specifically. We do have a section for Mexican heritage. It's very beautiful and colorful. We even have a wall made up entirely of skulls."

Maria looked entirely engrossed with the conversation. Her eyes widened on the last statement. "Were they real?" she whispered, as if asking too loud would cause the owners of the skulls to rise up and complain about their headlessness.

Mary shrugged. "I don't know, I never asked."

Before either woman could make another comment, the waiter returned with their food. Now that she was aware of it, Mary could see the young man did indeed stare at them from across the restaurant, making the irritated looking woman snap her fingers twice so he could resume taking her order.

They ate some of the food in silence. Mary made an appreciative sound. "This really is good."

"I told you I kept my promises," Maria grinned as she ate some of her own fajita. "This is the best food you can get anywhere."

"I wouldn't say _that_."

Maria looked genuinely surprised. "You've had better food somewhere else?"

Mary grinned and took a sip of her water to wash down the food. "You can say that. So, what are the museums like in Arroba?"

Maria grinned as she looked out into the streets with a far away expression on her face. "Wonderful. They were so full of art and sculptures. They even had an exhibit for aspiring artists to display their artwork and have the public critique it." Her grin grew. "I once displayed a painting I did and the museum paid me so they could keep it."

"Wow. You must be really gifted."

Maria shrugged at the comment, but her eyes lit up at the praise. "I draw on my free time but my real passion is in books. Especially fantasy and folklore."

"What's your favorite lore?" Mary was enjoying herself immensely and was a bit shocked at how easy it was to talk to Maria.

Maria thought for a few moments, her fingernails tapping on the table as she rattled off folklore tales in her head. "I guess I will have to say how Xibalba and La Muerte came to rule their respective realms."

And just like that, Mary was regretting ever agreeing to allow Maria to take her to the restaurant. She took another bite from her fajita and noticed that it was far less appetizing than a minute ago. "Oh really," she said in a hopefully interested tone. "What do you know about the myth?"

Maria seemed to notice the sudden shift in Mary's voice. Her eyebrows came together in concern as she studied the other woman but nevertheless answered the question. "Xibalba and La Muerte used to rule both realms together but Xibalba had grown tired of the shared crowns. He wanted to rule the Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten by himself. Realizing that her husband meant to upset the balance, La Muerte banished Xibalba to the Land of the Forgotten for all of eternity."

Mary hummed noncommittally and stabbed at her steak fajita with a little too much pressure than necessary. "Actually, Xibalba had made a wager with La Muerte and he cheated. As punishment, La Muerte banished Xibalba from her side." She released a sigh as she looked out into the streets and away from Maria.

Maria frowned and looked down at her half eaten food. Like Mary, it was far less appetizing than a moment ago. She had no idea why Mary was acting like this so suddenly. She glanced back up as her brain scrambled for a topic for them to talk about. "Do you know what the wager was about?"

Mary jumped, seemingly forgetting where she was. She looked back at the other woman with a half-hearted smile. "Probably something so stupid that both gods forgot what it was." It was a downright lie, but she could never reveal that secret to Maria.

The younger woman frowned at that. "If it was so stupid why didn't La Muerte ask Xibalba to be with her and end the banishment?"

"She was still angry with him, although" Mary added with a soft laugh that had a tinge of sadness entwined with it. She played with her food absentmindedly as she continued, "she has thought about it quite a lot. Every time she thought about of asking him, she got scared of the idea that he might try to upset the balance again." She glanced at Maria. "I guess her fears were well founded after all."

Maria was taken aback by the honesty that rang in Mary's words. After a while she said in a quiet voice. "You talk about them as if they were normal people instead of gods."

Mary gave a genuine laugh at that. _For very good reason Maria,_ she said in her head. "They are gods but I like to think that they feel the same as us. That they feel joy and anger and pain and fear… and even betrayal. For a god to feel no emotions whatsoever would be quite dangerous, don't you think?"

Maria nodded after a moment. "True. I guess nobody really took the time to get to know them, huh?"

"Not a lot of people do." Mary stopped trying to pretend to be interested in her food and pushed the plate away from her. "Let's stop talking about unpleasant things. Tell me what your painting was about."

Maria offered a small smile. "It was a landscape piece of San Angel at sunset."

"Is that all?" Mary teased.

"It was very good! Good enough the museum's Art Department wanted it."

"Did the Art Department buy any other works of art from you?"

Maria shook her head. "No, but they did pay one of my classmates a lot of money for her sculpture." A light blush covered her cheeks. "It was a nude statue of herself."

Mary burst out laughing and a few seconds Maria joined her. The conversation of La Muerte and Xibalba was completely forgotten as Maria told her how the classmate had to draw pictures of her nude body in front of a mirror before even starting on the statue.

"Wait, wait," Mary got out as she wiped away tears of mirth from her eyes. "How long did it take her for finish her project?"

"Almost a year! One of the nuns caught her making the statue and had her destroy it and her drawings. She had to start over from scratch and hide the statue in her closet before it was done. I have no idea how she got it out of the dormitory without any nuns catching her."

Mary giggled and sobered a bit. "Well with that kind of dedication, she deserved the money she was paid." She grinned and once again rested her chin against her palm. "You seem a lot happier than yesterday."

Maria chuckled as she took a sip of her water. "Something good happened last night. My friend asked for my help about something he should have a long time ago."

"Is this the same friend you mentioned at the fountain today?"

Maria hesitated for a moment to nod. "Yeah, he is."

Mary studied Maria closely as she asked, "Is it Manolo?"

The other woman's eyes widened in shock for but a second, but Mary caught it. "No, it was another friend of mine." She looked out towards the town hall and read the time. "Oh no, it's getting late. I should probably go. No, I got it" she pulled out some money and placed it on the table when Mary was reaching into her pocket.

Both Maria and Mary stood up, the former much more quickly. "Maria, if it was something I said-"

"No, no. I just forgot that I'm needed at the orphanage."

"On a Saturday?" If there was a single doubt in Mary's mind that Maria was trying to get away from her, it was now gone.

Maria glanced away as she tuck a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear. "Yes, one of the children is having trouble with grammar and I promised that I would tutor him today." The lie was so terrible that Maria waited for Mary to call her out on it.

Instead, Mary nodded. "I understand," she said with a soft smile. "Have a good day Maria."

The other woman returned the smile hesitantly. "You too." She quickly walked away from the restaurant in the direction of the orphanage.

Mary watched as Maria went, a frown tugging at her lips. "What are you hiding from me?" she wondered aloud. Something strange was happening between Manolo and Maria, and if Mary had any hope of helping their marriage, she had to find out what it was.


	4. Please, tell me the truth

Author's note

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE BOOK OF LIFE OR ITS CHARACTERS

* * *

Mary walked with determination in her step. She paid no attention to the happenings around her, her eyes focused right in front of her, never wavering. The small wooden basket was held tight in her grip, the delectable aroma of baked cookies drifting up and calming the woman slightly. She worried that the cookies would not taste good as she hoped, she had not baked in over a century if she recalled correctly. Mary let out a small chuckle as she remembered the look on Carmen's face as she asked Manolo's mother to teach her how to make cookies. The first five attempts were disastrous to say the least but Mary thought that this batch came out fairly well.

The orphanage came into sight, just as worn down as the last time she had seen it. Mary took a deep breath and ran over the small speech she had worked on in her head once more before walking into the building. She was careful with opening the door, wincing as it creaked so loud that Mary feared that it finally broke.

Immediately, sounds of children running throughout the orphanage and playing flooded her ears. She found herself smiling despite the nerves running rampant in her body. She skillfully walked around the playing children; all the while making sure none of her goodies were stolen or fell out of her basket.

Mary saw a nun trying unsuccessfully to calm the children surrounding her. She beckoned the nun with her free hand and the nun walked over to her, bumping into some of the orphans with every step. None of the children seemed to notice, they all continued to laugh and run around.

"May I help you with something senorita?" the nun asked with a smile. The smile reached her tired eyes but only just, and she had to tuck several grey strands back under her habit. She glanced at the two children that just ran past her, both apologizing before sprinting down the hallway. She watched them with a small smile and turned back to face Mary. "I apologize for the children. They are very high-spirited. I'm sure you know that yourself."

Mary blushed and shook her head. "I never had the pleasure."

The nun's smile turned a little downcast as she nodded in understanding. "There is always still time though. Oh, I forgot, is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes please, I am looking for Maria Posada." Maria held up the basket of baked goods. "I thought that she wanted a little treat for all the hard work she's done."

The nun gave an approving nod. "She does deserve a little guilty pleasure." She gestured to the far end of the hallway. "Go up the staircase at the end of this hallway. Her classroom is the third on the right."

Mary gave her thanks and walked away, chuckling as the nun resumed trying to tame the hyper children, with little result. She did as the nun instructed and leaned against the doorway as she observed Maria's classroom.

The first thing that she noticed was that the children were much better-behaved than the group with the nun. They all sat in their seats and stared in rapt attention at the woman in front of the room. Maria was currently writing math problems on the blackboard, giving a hint of how to find the answer every now and again. Mary saw with a frown that the board looked to be old as the rest of the building and the seats the children were in even older. She was surprised that some of them did not break right then and there with the amount of chips in the legs.

Still, Maria was grinning as she turned to look back at her class, not realizing she had a guest. "Okay class, what is the answer to this problem?" She pointed at the first equation and several hands shot up in the air. She nodded to one girl with pigtails and a toothy grin.

"5 Profesora Posada."

Maria's grin grew wider as she nodded. "Correct Alexandra!" She turned to write the answer on the board. She caught sight of Mary who gave a little wave. Maria grinned at her and looked back at the class. "Finish the rest of the questions on the board and check answers with the person next to you." The sounds of pencils scribbling on paper and whispering filled the room as Maria joined Mary outside of the classroom.

"What are you doing here?" Maria asked, her eyes a little wary and her arms crossed.

Mary held up the basket with a small smile. "I came to apologize. For the day before when I upset you."

Maria tilted her head to the side and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What makes you think that I was upset about yesterday?" Her voice suggested that she was not in a forgiving mood at all.

Mary rolled her eyes at the tone and decided to simply say what she thought. "Because you left suddenly and you lied about why."

To her surprise, Maria actually looked a little embarrassed. "I- uh" her shoulders relaxed in defeat as she uncrossed her arms. "I should be the one to apologize, I should have acted more mature than that." She glanced back into the room. "I suppose that their immaturity is rubbing off on me." Even though the words themselves could be considered accusatory, Mary knew that Maria cared for the children and their antics deeply.

The older woman only shrugged. "I think even adults are entitled to act a little childish every once in a while."

Once again Maria narrowed her eyes but they were filled with humor. "I was not acting like a child."

Mary smirked as she chuckled. "Whatever you say Maria." She held up the basket of goodies and Maria took them. "For the children and you if you like," she explained.

Maria accepted the basket with a smile and looked back at the classroom. Most of the children were already checking their answers. She looked back at Mary. "Do you want to help me with them until my lesson ends? We can go for dinner afterwards. My treat."

The redhead grinned and nodded. "Of course." Together, they walked back into the classroom. Maria took back her spot in the front of the class with Mary sitting on the chair at the teacher's desk. She noticed that the desk was the same level of aged neglect as the rest of the classroom, but it seemed like someone had tried very hard to make the dark wood shine again.

Maria pulled everyone's attention back to her. "Class, I want you to say hello to my friend Mary Beth. She's going to help me till the end of class so I want you to give her the same respect you show me."

Mary watched as Maria continued to teach the students math and was stunned with how much the younger woman knew. She taught the subject with such ease and when a child was confused by something, she was able to explain each step effortlessly.

After another ten minutes, Maria erased the backboard and began to write sentences explaining the history of Cinco de Mayo. Students wrote notes in dutiful silence, occasionally asking a question on a specific date. Mary wondered why Maria wanted her to come inside to help when she obviously had everything under control. She grinned when Maria asked a child who was whispering to a friend what she just said. The child blushed in embarrassment while the class chuckled at his lack of stealth and redoubled his effort in taking studious notes.

Before she knew it, Maria erased the black board once again. "Okay class, I want you to write a paragraph on why the battle of Cinco de Mayo was important. I expect the paper back tomorrow. There are cookies at the front for you to take, only take one! Have a good night."

The children all rushed to the basket of cookies and then left, each one calling a "Good night" to Mary and Maria. Mary released a relieved sigh when the children smiled as they ate their cookies. She made a good batch, not the best, but good enough that none of the children gagged and throw away the treats. Maria grinned at Mary who took the basket. As fate would have it, there were two cookies left. She handed one to Maria and nibbled on the last one. It wasn't as amazing as Carmen's baked goods but it still made her mouth water.

"What are you in the mood for?" Mary asked as she finished her cookie long after Maria.

Maria thought for a little bit, swaying back and forth on her heals as she tried to figure out what was a good place to eat that was not overcrowded by now. "Do you like tacos?"

Mary grinned and nodded. "That sounds delicious. Let's go before all the good seats near the windows are taken."

They set off to the restaurant with Maria leading. It was near six o'clock according to the town hall's clock. Many young couples and groups of friends were out and about, talking about this and that. Mary noticed that Maria continually glanced at the groups of people as if she was trying to find someone in particular. She wondered for a moment if she was searching for Manolo when Maria looked down at her wedding ring.

They finally arrived at the restaurant and took a table near the window. The waiter took their order and gave them water as they waited. Their conversation was a little more strained than the day before, however they managed to make the other laugh occasionally. When the food finally came, the words came more easily to both women as they commented on how good the tacos were. It did not hurt that they ordered red wine with their dinner and were on their second glasses.

"How long have you been working at the orphanage?" Mary asked as she finished off her food and waited for the waiter to come around.

Maria chuckled. "Only a year but it feels a lot longer. I love it there, although it could definitely use some renovations," she said with a sad frown. The frown dissolved into a gentle grin. "The children make it all worth it though."

Mary nodded at the answer and took a sip of the wine. She already started to feel the effects of the alcohol as she grinned at the other woman. She giggled, "Didn't you say that the age added some character?"

"I did," Maria admitted with a slight frown, "but still, it becomes a safety hazard to the children whenever a storm hits it." She swirled the contents in her glass before taking a good size gulp of it. "Very good choice by the way. I've never been that into wine before so I don't know what's good and what's not."

Mary shrugged away the compliment. "A good rule of the thumb is that the older a wine is, the better it usually tastes." She took a sip and refilled her glass, frowning when she realized that she and Maria had already drunk half of the bottle's contents. "But whenever you can, always go for the red wine. I found that they have a more exotic taste than white wine."

Maria nodded and committed the words to memory. The waiter came back and they paid the check before leaving. Mary giggled as Maria's stride stumbled a little bit. The younger woman glared halfheartedly at her for the laugh but did not say anything. They stopped when they arrived at the main fountain in the middle of town square and looked up at the sky. The full moon twinkled down at them and provided enough light for them to see clearly down the road without the street lamps.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Maria asked.

Mary hummed in agreement as she gazed at the moon. She looked back down at Maria. "Why were you looking at the people we walked past this afternoon?"

Maria seemed confused at the question and it took her a moment to realize Mary wanted an answer. She gave a quick shrug. "I wanted to see if someone I knew was out."

"Was it Manolo?" Perhaps it was the three glasses of wine (or was it five?) that made the older woman want to know what was going on in Maria's head with an eagerness she did have before. All she knew was that she wanted answers and she wanted them now.

Maria shook her head so swiftly that her pony tail whipped around. "What makes you think that?" she asked with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"You looked at your wedding ring more than once," Mary said with an air of importance.

The younger woman huffed and crossed her arms under her chest. Knowing that this meant Maria was angry, Mary held up her hands in surrender, forgetting that she was holding the basket in her right. She quickly bent to pick it up, and when she straightened her back she realized that Maria was already walking away from her.

She caught up with her and grabbed her arm to force her to stop moving. "Wait, Maria."

Maria whirled around and Mary let go of her arm in shock. She was surprised to see so much anger on her face. "Will you stop trying to butt into my marriage?" Maria snapped. "What's it to you anyway?" There was something more in Maria's eyes besides anger, there was fear.

Mary shrugged and almost blurted that she had a bet with another god. She managed to keep her mouth shut though and said in a whisper, "You just seem angry with him and I want to help. Trust me," she said with a hint of desperation in her voice.

Maria scoffed and continued to glare at Mary. "Why do you care? You barely know me and I you. How can you possibly expect me to trust you?" Mary recognized the same desperation she felt in Maria's voice.

Mary did not answer the question at first. She frowned as she tried to come up with a reason for Maria to trust her and if she were to be completely honest, she did not have one. She looked up at Maria who still waited for an answer. "Maybe you just need a stranger to talk to, someone who doesn't know you very well and can't judge you."

Maria paused for a long time, so much that Mary wondered if she was going to start walking away again right then and there. The younger woman heaved a great sigh and turned around. She marched to the fountain and sat down at the ledge, looking expectantly at Mary. Mary offered a small smile and followed Maria's lead, sitting down next to her.

Maria looked down at her joined hands resting on her lap. She glanced back up at the moon with a sad grin. "Manolo sang to me during a full moon. I was leaning against my balcony's railing while the three Mariachi Brothers helped him up so he could look at my face. It was very romantic and all he wanted was for me to kiss him." She chuckled and this time a little bit of humor crept into the laugh. "I didn't though. I made sure that he knew that a simple song was not enough for me to let him into my heart." Maria leaned closer to Mary and whispered as if she was about to reveal a big secret Mary had no right of knowing. "He lost his footing and ended up with the biggest of the brothers landing on him."

Mary giggled at the last statement and leaned against Maria. "What did he do afterwards?" She already knew the answer to that question but it seemed to be doing Maria good to talk about this.

"He proposed," Maria said softly, her eyes glued on the moon. "He asked me to meet him at the grand tree just outside of the village. He made a pathway of candles leading right to him and he sang about how he loved me. He told me that he couldn't give me anything except his love." She shook her head, "The god Xibalba heard and he made his two headed snake bite me once to force me into a sleep-like curse. After…. well you heard the rest of the story."

Mary nodded with a small frown. "Do you think that Manolo does not love you anymore?"

The younger woman released a bark of surprised laughter. "He does but," she paused, seeming to decide what to say, "he spends all of his time either with the Mariachi Brothers or in the bull ring." She looked down at the wedding ring for a moment. "I wish we had brought that bottle of wine with us," she said with a sigh.

Mary knew that there was more to the story than Maria was telling her but one glance told her that the younger woman was done talking about Manolo. She tried to think of new topics for them to talk about. When she found one, she leaned back on her hands and swung her legs back and forth as if they were on a simple outing. "Where's Chuy?"

Maria looked as if she were pulled from the depths of her own mind. She looked to right to see that the space usually occupied by her pet pig was empty. "He's at the house. Chuy isn't allowed inside the orphanage after some of the children tried to feed him their homework." Maria and Mary laughed at that. "He sometimes comes with me to walk to the orphanage but mostly he just waits for me to come home."

"Won't he be a little worried then? I did keep you for the entire day," Mary said with a chuckle.

Maria shrugged as she grinned, already forgetting the melancholy discussion of Manolo. "No, he knows that I have occasional dinners with the nuns."

Mary nodded. "What kind of books do you like?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject.

Maria shrugged again and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. "A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I do prefer classics and the ones with folklore. What about you?" she asked, turning her head to look at her friend.

"I like the same kind. Every now and again, I do love curling up with a good romantic novel of some pirate and princess. I rather doubt your nuns would approve of some of the … creative scenes in my novels." Mary laughed at Maria's now reddening face.

Maria slapped at Mary's shoulder halfheartedly, joining in the laughter a moment later. She hummed in content, "It's nice having someone who shares the love of books." She frowned, "Some of the other women make fun of me behind my back because I like to read and teach in my spare time."

Mary made a disapproving noise in the back of her throat. "They're just jealous that not only are you so beautiful to be called the jewel of the town, but you also have brains."

Maria's blush that recovered somewhat had gained back its redness as she glanced away. _She's very pretty when she's blushing,_ Mary thought before she could help herself. She gave a start and shook her head to rid herself of such strange thoughts. _I shouldn't have that much wine,_ Mary concluded.

Maria got up from the ledge and held out a hand to help Mary up. Mary took the hand with a grateful smile. Neither of the women noticed that they did not let go of either hand. "Well," Maria said with a note of regret, "I really have to get back to Chuy. Adios Mary." Maria gave Mary's hand the barest of squeezes before letting go and heading off into the direction of her home.

Mary watched the other woman walk away for a bit. She started to walk in the opposite direction before turning into a deserted alleyway in between two houses. Once she made sure no one was looking out of the windows, she waved a hand. La Muerte looked out of the dark alley and snapped her fingers. A cloud of marigolds circled around her and obscured the view of San Angel. When the flowers stopped moving, she saw that she was back in her castle in the Land of the Remembered.

She walked through the empty hallways toward her room in the heart of the castle. She hummed a random soothing tone to herself as she smiled. Already, several ideas were blooming in her head and she found herself excited to try each and every one of them.


	5. and I will repay the same courtesy

Author's note

I'm so sorry I accidentally replaced this chapter with the one before. My bad!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE BOOK OF LIFE OR ITS CHARACTERS

* * *

La Muerte sighed as she sank deeper into her throne. She looked at the festive decorations that were painted on the walls of her castle with a dismissive eye. She sighed again and rested her head back against the plush headrest of her throne, closing her eyes in hopes of taking a nap. After ten minutes, however, sleep still avoided her and La Muerte growled under her breath.

She was completely and utterly bored. La Muerte could not think of one thing that she could do that would ease her boredom. Not in the Land of the Remembered anyway. There were endless fiestas, yes, and the lovely Sanchez family could entertain her and the residents with a bullfight, but she was not in the mood for either of those things. A fleeting image came across her mind of the bull incident that occurred two days ago. One of the Sanchez's, she suspected it was the Aztec matador Carmelo, had accidently released a piñata bull out of the ring while practicing. Luckily, no one was injured, although she had to use magic to restore one of the Rodriguez's family floats.

Another heavy sigh was released as she rested her chin on her closed fist, her elbow resting on the armrest. Her free hand twirled its fingers through the air as if playing in a still pool. A small cloud of marigolds flew about in response, twisting and swirling around in an intricate dance. This alleviated some of La Muerte's dull mind but still she felt a soft tugging at the back of her brain.

"What to do, what to do," she said softly to herself. She mused whether it would be truly wrong for her to send for Maria and take her to one of the fiestas. The idea was quickly thrown from her mind with an agitated groan. How could she forget that the younger woman only knew her as Mary Beth?

La Muerte looked to her left at the small table she had set up next to her throne. She reached out and gingerly grabbed the book resting on the golden surface. The book was a little old with a few dog eared pages here and there. Overall, it was quite unremarkable. La Muerte played with the cover of the book before opening it. There, on the first page, written in a large curvy font that read Moby Dick. Right under it was a small script that reads "Herman Melville."

The goddess grinned as she traced the cursive writing with the tip of her finger. The dead author was celebrating his one-thousandth year in the Land of the Remembered when she had asked for a signed copy. Melville was very gracious, if a little arrogant, when he provided a copy of his most famous book with unnecessary flourish. She had thanked him and set off to her castle before the author could ask her to stick around for the party.

La Muerte set the book back on the table. She tapped her fingernails against an armrest to a random rhythm. Finally, after another five minutes of total boredom, La Muerte got up out of her chair. She grabbed the book with a small grin and snapped her fingers once. A cloud of thousands of marigold petals bloomed out of the air and swirled around her.

When the marigold petals dissolved into nothingness, Mary Beth was standing right outside of San Angel's entrance. She looked up at the impressive stone arch, her eyes taking in the heart structure. She stroked her fingertips against one of the stone's pillars before making her way into the town.

Mary kept the book clutched in her hand as she strolled through the streets, her eyes scanning the people around her for a sign of bright brown eyes or a dark haired woman's ponytail. She strolled into the market place and saw Maria's husband, Manolo, talking to one of the market stand's owner.

She made her way over to the two and saw that Manolo was holding a bundle of beautiful flowers. A smile found its way on Mary's face as she walked closer to the man.

"And you're sure that these are the most beautiful flowers that you sell?" Manolo asked the old man who was looking as if he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

"For the hundredth time, yes!" the owner growled. He glanced at Mary and his attitude changed instantly. "Ah, another customer! What can I offer such a breathtaking woman?" The old man made a show of presenting the flowers on his market stand.

Mary giggled and shook her head. "I'm not buying anything. I just wanted to say hi to Manolo." She ignored how the old man grumbled something like, "Then go away before you scare off potential customers." She smiled up at Manolo. "Hola Manolo," she said graciously.

If the man was trying to hide his shock, he was doing a terrible job. His eyes kept glancing into the street like he was considering making a run for it. The grip on his flowers increased until there was a very real possibility that he was squeezing the water out of the stems. "Hola Mary. How are you doing today?" His voice even spoke volumes of discomfort.

She raised an eyebrow at the strange display. "I'm doing very well, thank you." She studied Manolo as she nodded towards the flowers. "Are those for Maria?"

Manolo more jerked his head up and down rather than nod. "Y-yes of course they are! Who else could they be for?"

Mary could have sworn that even the old man sighed at Manolo's suspicious movements. "Oh, well that's good," she said in an unconvinced tone.

Manolo gave a weak smile that told Mary that he did not notice her distrustful tone. "Great! Well uh I got to go now so – uh – bye." He waved stupidly at Mary before hurrying away.

The old man stopped pretending that he was not eavesdropping and slapped the table of his stand. "Hey! You forgot to pay for those!"

Manolo hurried back with guilt in his eyes and placed a wad of cash without counting it before hurrying away again. The old man said nothing, he simply grabbed the money with a greedy smile. He looked at Mary and then at the retreating form of Manolo. "Young men don't know what they got until it's gone," he said without a note of sympathy in his voice.

Mary hummed in agreement as she glared at Manolo's back. Several thoughts were rummaging through her head for explanations for Manolo's odd behavior, each more unlikely than the last. She glanced at the old man who was putting his upmost effort in ignoring the young woman. She sighed and turned so she was facing the rude man.

"Can I please buy a marigold?" she asked.

The old man let out a grunt and practically threw a marigold at her without even looking at her. Mary paid for the flower with a small glare at the man before walking away. She looked down at the book still safely in her grasp.

Before she could think of a way to explain Manolo's behavior, besides the obvious reason, the rundown orphanage loomed over her. She saw the usual children running about and she weaved through them without a single scratch. They all seemed to remember her, even the ones that were not in Maria's class when she came to visit. They scurried around her and asked if she brought any more cookies. Mary grinned and promised them that the next time she came, she would bring them all enough goodies to fill their little tummies.

Once again, Mary found herself leaning against the door frame as she watched Maria teach another class. Like the one before, the children were quiet and paying their undivided attention. Maria tapped against the board, which was filled with sentences, each with a grammar error. The children dutifully wrote down the revisions of the sentences. Mary noticed that Maria had a sort of rigidness in her frame that she did not have the last time Mary saw her teach.

Maria glanced at the door and smiled when she saw Mary. She glanced back at the students and strolled over to the older woman. "Hola Mary," she said softly so as to not to distract the children.

Mary returned the grin and held out the marigold. "I saw this and I thought you might want it." She made sure that she kept the book behind her back so Maria could not see it.

Maria's grin widened when she took the flower graciously, her fingertips running across the velvety petals absentmindedly. "Why did you come here?" The rigidness in her stance seemed to melt away as she smelled the fragrance wafting off the flower.

The older woman shrugged, the book still hidden behind her back. "I wanted to apologize for that night a few days ago. I should have helped you to your house instead of allowing you to walk alone." She frowned, "If something had happened to you, it would have been my fault."

Maria was shocked at the amount of regret on the other woman's face. She quickly shook her head with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it! I should have more self-control, that's all. Besides, I know how to take care of myself." She seemed to have said the right thing, Mary looked a lot better. She finally noticed that one arm was behind Mary's back. "What do you have there?" she asked with a nod.

Mary almost shyly revealed the book and held it out so Maria could look at the cover. Maria took it and smiled when she saw what it was. "Thank you Mary, you really shouldn't have." An impish smile covered her face. "Although I already own a copy."

Mary only shook her head with a chuckle. "Open it."

Looking rather dubious, Maria did as she was told and frowned as she saw the small signature. She tilted her head to the side as she continued to look at the first page. "Someone wrote Melville's name on the page." Mary only nodded with a widened grin. Maria looked more confused as she glanced back down at the book in her hands. Slowly, comprehension drew on her face, as did excitement. "W-wait this isn't - " Mary grinned and nodded. "But it can't be," Maria whispered in awe.

"It is." Mary could not help the smugness that found its way into her voice.

Maria stared intently at the signature, a finger tracing the curves of the 'H' with a slight quiver. Mary noticed with amusement that the marigold was still safely in the other woman's hand, even if she seemed to forget that it existed. After a full minute, Maria looked up with a very soft smile, still in awe at such a gift. "Thank you, Mary. I don't think anyone has ever given me something so" she hesitated as she tried to find the right word, "meaningful."

Careful not to drop the book or the flower, Maria gave Mary a quick hug, whispering another thanks into her ear. When she pulled away, Mary noticed that some of the tension between the two of them had disappeared. Maria opened her mouth to say something but before she could, laughter erupted from the classroom. Both women glanced back into the classroom and saw one of the students had apparently fallen asleep and fell onto his head when he slipped out of his chair. Said student struggled to get back into his seat, a dazed look still in his eyes. Maria only rolled her eyes with a humor-filled smile, "Pedro, how many times have I told you that if you decided to go to bed before the crack of dawn, you might get through one class without falling out of your seat?"

Pedro grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. "More times than I can count Profesora Posada."

"Then perhaps we can work on counting higher next class."

"Sounds good Profesora," Pedro replied with a cheeky grin.

Again, Maria rolled her eyes and gently placed the book and flower on her desk before resuming teaching. Mary took the chair at the teacher's desk as she did before and again it seemed that she was not needed. She contented herself by simply watching Maria teach. After thirty minutes, Maria turned towards the class with a grin. "Because it is a Friday, you have no homework." She waited for the cheers to die down to continue, "But we are starting a new topic on Monday! We are going to discuss the myths and their origins and what they mean. Adios chicos!"

The children hurried away, some looking slightly disappointed at the fact that there was not a basket full of goodies on the teacher's desk. When the last student had filed out, Maria erased the blackboard. "So what do you want to do today?" Maria asked, inspecting the board to see if she missed a letter.

Mary shrugged and played with a chip in the desk absentmindedly. "I don't know. I just figured I pop by to give you your gifts and go back home."

"Well that's not very friendly," Maria said with a slight pout as she walked over to the desk. She picked up the marigold flower with a small grin which did not go amiss by Mary. "Didn't the museum teach you better manners?" Mary noticed that there was a mischievous glint in the younger woman's eyes.

Mary made a noncommittal gesture. "Yes, but I'm not a museum guide anymore, so I don't have to waste time acting as a proper lady should."

Maria's lips twitched into the smallest of grimaces before she schooled her features to appear amused. "I have to say that I was a little worried when I didn't see you anywhere in the past couple of days. I thought that I had run you off that night."

The older woman gave a start and stared at Maria who was picking at the petals of the flower nervously, not meeting her eyes. "Of course not! Why did you think that?" It did not go unnoticed from either woman that they were in this situation only a few minutes ago, however this time the roles were reversed.

The dark haired woman worried at her lip for a few seconds before answering. "I – uh. I don't exactly know what happened and I was worried that I –" a blush slowly formed on her cheeks, "said something inappropriate."

Mary glanced down at her lap and pondered what Maria could possibly mean. She shook her head as she realized that the other woman knew that they had argued but did not know what they said. "Oh, well we talked about Manolo and, um, you yelled at me for, uh, butting into business that I shouldn't concern myself about."

The blush grew on the younger woman's cheeks as her eyes widened in horror. Mary noted that there was also a singe of relief in them too but she did not question it. "Oh I'm so sorry Mary! I shouldn't have said that, I was a little bit drunk and I -"

Mary waved away the apology with a grin. "I know you were drunk but we made up. I think we talked about the kind of books we like. I was a little intoxicated so my memory is a little hazy but I definitely know we made up." It was a small white lie, but Maria did not need to know that Mary remembered everything in vivid detail.

Maria nodded, looking much more relaxed. She offered a small smile that lit up her eyes only a tiny bit. "So since I didn't run you off, do you like San Angel?"

The older woman grinned and nodded. "Mmhmm. I love it here. The town has a certain charm to it." She grinned and leaned back in the teacher's chair, "And the people are very interesting."

A blush spread across Maria's face but she began to pout a second later. "You're making fun of me," she accused Mary.

Mary smile only widened. A fleeting thought came across her head, She really is the jewel of the town. She shook her head to rid her of such strange notions. She concluded that it must have been the gift that made her playful.

She wondered for a moment whether this would be a good time to talk to Maria about Manolo since they were both in high spirits. She took a very deep breath. "Maria, I saw Manolo this morning." Maria looked very interested, her fingers stilling on the flower petal.

"He was buying flowers," Mary said cautiously. Maria's eyes widened a fraction in surprise and if Mary was not studying her, she would have missed it.

Maria cleared her throat. "Did he? Last night he said that he would get me something special." She gave a laugh that was far too high pitch to be convincing. "I guess you spoiled the surprise."

Mary raised an eyebrow and Maria almost fidgeted at the penetrating stare. After a minute she smiled a little, deciding to ignore the fact that Maria was obviously lying. "I did? Well, I'm sorry."

The other woman shrugged as if it was not a big deal. She resumed playing with the marigold although she was looking at Mary warily. Mary sighed in response and looked out of the window. An awkward silence fell over the two women.

"I have to go soon," Maria said abruptly. Mary looked quickly at the younger woman and watched as she got everything together, paying extra attention to the book and the flower so neither got wrinkled.

"Wait."

Maria stopped as if she had hit an invisible barrier. "What is it?" she asked with a guarded look in her eye.

"Next time you want to see me, have Chuy come find me. I won't be able to leave the house for a little bit while I get everything situated. I decided to stay."

The younger woman looked confused for a second. She turned around so she could fully face Mary. "Why can't you just tell me where you're staying?"

Mary blushed in embarrassment as she told another white lie. "I actually don't remember the exact address of my apartment."

This explanation only served to make Maria even more confused. "Then how will Chuy know where you live?"

Mary shrugged. "He could follow my scent."

"He is more dog than pig, huh?" Maria agreed with a giggle, the tension the conversation caused evaporating in an instant. "All right, next time I'll send Chuy to come and find you."

The older woman laughed. "I thought you trust me."

"I do, it's just a little weird that's all. Even by my standards." Maria smiled hopefully, "Adios Mary," she said as she turned to walk away.

"Adios Maria." Mary looked back out of the window and snapped her fingers once. La Muerte glanced back at the open door to make sure no one had happened to see her transformation. The goddess disappeared in a cloud of marigolds, reappearing back in her castle. She grasped one of the petals before all of them evaporated into thin air.

She studied the petal with a frown, her thumb skimming across the silky surface. She followed the transition of red to orange with her eyes as she sat back down on her throne. La Muerte sighed as she let go of the petal and watched it float down with the grace of a ballerina to the floor. "What are you hiding from me, Maria?" she asked to the empty castle.

La Muerte knew that she already asked such a question before, but she was no closer to getting any of the answers she desired. She was aware of a sinking feeling in her stomach as she rubbed circles on her temple to ease the headache forming at the back of her head. She knew that the key to saving Maria's marriage was to figure out what the woman was hiding and what she knew about Manolo's secret. She feared that she was not only going to lose the wager, but she was also going to lose a friend.


	6. I can't get you out of my mind

Author's notes

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BOOK OF LIFE OR ITS CHARACTERS!

* * *

 _How long will this take?_ La Muerte thought to herself as she sat sank deeper into her plush chair. She was watching the Sanchez family perform various dangerous acts in a bullfight. All around her, the residents of the Land of the Remembered cheered out as Carlos sidestepped a skeletal bull, the whiplash causing his clothes to flap about his body. He bowed to La Muerte as the bull tried to regain its footing. She gave a polite nod and watched with detached interest as the dance of death resumed.

It had been a week since she last visited Maria. She tried to keep herself busy by attending several fiestas but no matter how grand the party was, she found herself wishing to be back in the Land of the Living. As a last ditch effort to keep her mind from slipping to San Angel, she asked the Sanchezes to put together a bullfight for everyone to watch. If anything, the bullfight only made the goddess wish more than ever that she could escape her own realm.

Almost as if the mere thought conjured an antidote to her boredom, La Muerte felt a peculiar pulling on her consciousness. She frowned and tried to ignore it, redoubling her halfhearted effort to watch Carlos as he evaded the bull's horns again and again. The pulling persisted and grew the more she ignored it until it felt as if someone was tugging on her hair to get her attention.

Finally, with a soft growl under her breath, she began to pay attention to the strange sensation. The goddess almost started when she realized that she was being summoned. She glanced down at the bull ring and huffed in annoyance, there was no way she could escape without calling attention to herself.

La Muerte forced herself to relax against the chair as the tugging resumed, this time almost painfully. After ten minutes, Carlos and the bull bowed deeply to the applauding audience. She leaned forward into her chair as all the Sanchez bullfighters and the two twins, who managed to hold the goddess's attention longest with their amazing fireworks display, took a collected bow. La Muerte clapped along with everyone else.

Once the people of the Land of the Remembered began to file out of the stands, La Muerte snapped her fingers before anyone could notice her. Marigold petals flew around her and just as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone without a trace.

Mary Beth walked out of the shadows of an extravagant tombstone. She glanced back at the coral marble, skimming her fingers across the smooth surface and igniting the unlit candles that surrounded the grave with a flick of her fingers.

A strange bark brought Mary's attention to her right. Chuy sat with a rather disgruntled expression on his face staring up at her. Mary patted his head and after a moment of hesitation, the pig stood up to press his face against the hand, encouraging the woman to scratch behind his ears. "I'm sorry that I made you wait, Chuy."

Chuy only gave a feeble grunt of annoyance.

Mary stopped scratching the pig's ears, much to Chuy's dissatisfaction, to look around. Nobody seemed to be in the cemetery she was summoned at, which relieved Mary. She knew that it would be quite difficult to explain how she appeared out of a tombstone that a pig was barking at a second before.

"Did Maria call for me, Chuy?" Mary asked.

Chuy gave an enthusiastic nod and promptly turned to point his snout east of where the cemetery was. He started to trot away, glancing behind his shoulder with a meaningful look in his eyes.

Mary nodded, realizing that she was meant to follow Chuy, and hurried after him. They walked for about thirty minutes before Chuy barked happily and ran up to a door to a beautiful mansion. She slowed down to a stop as the pig waited for her at the door's entrance patiently. The mansion looked extremely … familiar.

The house was undoubtedly one of the biggest and most expensive homes in San Angel, the handsome white marble making the mansion stand out of its wooden neighbors. But that was not caught Mary's attention. There was a balcony on one side of the house that overlooked the entire small town. Mary was looking at it as her brain hummed that she knew she saw it before, she just needed to recall where.

Mary gave a small sigh as she remembered why the balcony looked so familiar. It was the same balcony in which Manolo serenaded Maria. A sudden rush of feeling attacked Mary and she gasped at the intensity of it. She shook her head as she felt something bite into her heart but as quickly as the emotion came, it left with only a dull ache.

Before she could ponder what she felt and why, Chuy gave a low bark and pawed the door. She looked at the pig with a sheepish smile, knowing that Chuy knew that she was lost in her own thoughts. She walked over and knocked politely on the old door.

Chuy gave another low bark and pawed the door. Mary looked down with a shake of her head. "We can't just barge in, that would be entirely too rude."

Chuy stared at Mary as his leg rose and he tapped it against the wood once. He continued to stare expectantly at the woman until Mary gave a small exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine but if I get in trouble, I'm telling Maria that it was your fault."

Mary opened the door and took a cautious glance inside, making sure that none of the residents were just now turning a corner to let them in. She could have sworn that Chuy heaved his own sigh before running inside the mansion. He got to the center of the foyer before turning around, his eyes rolling when he saw that Mary was still technically outside.

Mary gave the outdoors one last longing glance before walking into the mansion. She looked around, very impressed with what she saw. Everything from the table situated in the middle of the room to the bare walls spoke of cleanliness and luxury. There was a glass door that led to an area in the back, undoubtedly used for banquets. She could see several tables piled behind the glass, each covered with a white sheet. There were two hallways on either side of the foyer, leading to different parts of the house. There a staircase to the right of the foyer carpeted with something that looked like red wool.

She walked deeper into the room as she eyed the two portraits hung beside the door she just entered. One was of General Posada and the other of Joaquin's father. The man looked more of a thug than hero in Mary's opinion but she will withhold her judgments if San Angel saw him as a person to be honored.

She heard a soft bay behind her, calling her attention back on to Chuy. He was currently sniffing the air with vigor, obviously trying to find something. He gave an excited bark as he trotted out of the right hallway of the room.

Sensing that she had no choice, Mary followed the pig. As they strolled down the seemingly endless hallway, she looked at the portraits of Maria's and Manolo's ancestors. She frowned when she noticed that the entire mansion seemed a little … empty. She shook away the feeling as Chuy stopped in front of old looking double doors.

Mary opened one of them and Chuy scurried past her with a grateful bark. She took a peek inside and saw that Chuy had led her to a giant library. There must be a thousand books sitting on shelves that surrounded the walls. She walked into the room and saw that there were several couches in the middle of the room, and resting on one was Maria.

Maria did not seem to notice that she had guests; she was far too absorbed in her book. Mary grinned when she saw that it was the book she had given the younger woman a week prior. She coughed under the breath and chuckled when Maria gave a yelp of surprise.

"M-Mary, what are doing here?"

"Didn't you call for me?" Mary asked, still grinning.

Maria nodded and carefully placed the book next to her. "Yes, but I wasn't expecting you until the afternoon."

"It is afternoon," Mary said gently.

The younger woman's eyes widened as a light blush covered her cheeks. She gave an embarrassed laugh as she smoothed down imaginary creases in her dress, "Oh, I'm sorry! I was reading and I guess I lost track of time."

The older woman simply waved away the apology. "I would be concerned if you didn't lose yourself in that book. It's very good," she said.

"Thank you again for it," Maria said, relieved that Mary did not think ill of her for not realizing what time it was. She stood up and Mary noticed that the blush did not soften and she took a deep breath. "I called you because I wanted to know if you like bullfights and if you would like to go with me to see one today?"

It took Mary a moment to figure out what Maria asked as the younger woman spoke so quickly as if the words would become extinct if she did not voice them in one second. "Actually, I never have -" she saw the disappointment growing in Maria's face, "been to a bullfight before," she hastily said. Another little white lie but it was for a good cause.

The disappointment on Maria's face changed to one of hopefulness in a heartbeat. She grinned and stood up, causing Chuy to bark happily. Maria gave the book the older woman had gifted her one final glance, her fingertips brushing the cover like it was made of the finest silk. She walked over to Mary and held out an arm, still grinning widely. "You're going to love it," she said.

The excitement was contagious. Mary found herself smiling as she accepted Maria's arm. She was unsure why she was so happy, a moment ago she would have given everything to escape a bullfight. The two walked out of the library with Chuy trotting alongside them. Maria glanced down at the pig as they reached the door that led outside of the mansion and went to grab a blue leash. Chuy seemed a little disgruntled as Maria clipped it on but he smiled a second later.

They left the mansion and strolled over to the town's arena. Mary noticed that many of the town's residents were also heading in that direction. Most of them glanced at the three and whispered excitedly to each other. Mary caught words like "marriage" and "trouble." It seemed that she was not the only one who sensed the struggles in Maria's and Manolo's relationship.

Maria did not spare any of the gossipers any notice, although Chuy gave a low growl. She tightened her arm around Mary's, not enough to hurt the older woman, and lifted her chin as she walked briskly away. Mary gave Maria a concerned glance and whispered low enough so only the other woman can hear. "Do you want to head back? We can read instead of going to the bullfight."

Maria shook her head with a soft smile. "No, they can say whatever they want about me, I don't really care. Besides, Joaquin is dying to meet you."

Mary nodded, smiling as well. The rest of the trek was in silence and soon the massive arena loomed in front of them. Mary made a start to go into the stands but Maria gave her arm a small tug. The younger woman pointed at the balcony seating, "We'll get a better view there. And, look, Joaquin is already here!"

Indeed, San Angel's hero was seated in the wooden balcony. He looked apprehensive, his fingers never stop stroking his mustache or playing with his various medals. Mary was a little confused by the behavior but quickly put it out of her mind as Maria lead her to the door to the balcony.

Joaquin stood up as the door behind him opened and Maria and Mary entered. He gave the younger woman a smile and nod; however both were a little shaky. "Hola Maria," he said, taking off his sombrero. He held out his hand for Mary to shake. "And who might you be?" he asked, giving her a crooked smile.

Mary took his hand, noting how the man's was a little clammy, and shook it. "Hola, I'm Mary Beth. Maria was so gracious to invite me to see Manolo's bullfight."

At the mention of Maria's husband's name, Joaquin's eyes darted to Maria, who suddenly became very interested in the arena's bullring. His eyes returned to Mary and nodded. "I see," he said, "well Maria is quite the generous woman."

Maria snorted at that. "Come on Joaquin, it's just one bullfight, and Mary's a friend of mine." She looked down at the arena and sat up straighter in her chair, "Speaking of which, it looks like it's about to start." It did not go amiss to Mary that there was a great amount of relief in Maria's voice.

Mary sat down next to Maria and Joaquin took back his seat. She glanced at the man and saw that his eyes were glued on the bullring and he was chewing his bottom lip with nervous vigor.

Manolo walked out into the middle of the bullring, waving at the audience with the hand that was not carrying the red cape. When he saw the balcony and those in it, he gave a deep bow. "I dedicate this bullfight to my lovely wife!" The crowd, even those who were whispering behind Maria's back, all nodded with approve at Manolo's declare.

It might have been Mary's imagination, but she could have sworn that Maria grimaced but for a second and Joaquin glance away shamefully.

Before she could ponder it, she heard loud banging coming from the bullring. She looked back and saw that it also caught the attention of Manolo. He turned so he faced the door that held the bull, which was causing the banging noise as he tried to get out. Manolo laughed at the noise and spoke up so he could be heard above the crowd, "Let this bullfight begin!"

As the last word left his mouth, the door burst open and the bull rushed out into the arena, giving a mighty roar as it charged Manolo. Once again Manolo laughed and sidestepped away from the horns of the bull. The bull roared and tried again to find purchase in the man who swung the red cape as if it were a flag. And it charged again. And again. And again. Each time it got too close to Manolo, the matador would step away and lead the bull into an ever tighter circle.

Soon, Manolo had the bull stumbling from dizziness and by the time it could stand without threat of falling over, Manolo had walked to the other side of the bullring. The beast shook its mighty head and tensed its body. It sprang at the bullfighter with all of its might, roaring its battle cry. The entire crowd was silent and on the edge of their seats, following the bull's charge with fearful eyes. Joaquin even let out a little gasp and clenched his sombrero in his grip so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Manolo waited until the last possible second before jumping out of the way to the right. The bull, however, expected the move and swerved his head to the side. The tip of its horn found purchase in the matador's side, and everyone leapt to their feet in horror as the sound of ripping clothes and flesh filled the air. The bull stood over the kneeling Manolo as if it did not understand why there was now blood decorating the sand. Joaquin had his twin swords out in a flash and jumped out of the balcony, racing down the steps and leaping over the barrier that separated him from the bull. He charged at the bull, giving a battle cry of his own, his swords raised high to be brought down.

Before he could reach the bull however, strong hands pulled him to the side. He whirled around to punch whoever dare stopped him from attacking the bull. Manolo kept his grip on Joaquin's shoulders even when one of the blades was brandished in his face.

"Stop Joaquin!" Manolo cried as he wrestled a sword from the hero's grip. "It was my fault, I was supposed to jump to the left!" He moved so he was in between Joaquin and the bull.

The bull did not take this opportunity to finish Manolo off. Instead, it pawed the ground and sniffed at the spots of blood on the sand. It let out a low whine and lifted its head to sniff at the wound it gave the matador. It eyed the sword Manolo was carrying and once again let out a low whine before taking a few steps away, his head lowered so that the horns scraped the sand.

Manolo glanced back and slowly patted the bull's snout. "It is okay my friend," he said kindly. He dropped the sword in the sand and faced the bull. He held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

Joaquin slowly lowered his own blade and watched the bull's every shift. If it made any sudden movements, he would make sure that it would be its last.

The matador looked around at the still quiet crowd. He raised his hands higher and gave the people a wave. "It is okay everyone, I am completely fine!"

The effect was immediate. The crowd cheered their relief in a standing ovation with Mary and Maria leading it. Joaquin sheathed his two blades, having scooped up the one on the ground, and clapped, still eyeing the bull apprehensively. Even the bull seemed relieved at the news. It lifted its head to look fully at the matador, stamping its hooves in the sand as a way of celebrating.

Manolo, with one hand on the bull's side and the other covering his wound, bowed deeply. Mary saw that the matador clenched his side as he and the bull walked out of the arena. She glanced over to Maria and saw her sitting down and fanning herself with her hand. "So Mary," the younger woman said weakly, "how did you like your first bullfight?"

Mary shook her head and sat down as well. "That was very," she shook her head with a small chuckle, "exciting." She swallowed through the lump in her throat. "Is it always like this?"

"No," Maria replied, still fanning herself, "there have been close calls before but the bull never managed to get him like this." She nodded towards the arena where Joaquin was only now leaving. "I'm surprised Joaquin acted so quickly though."

"Has he ever done this before?" Mary asked.

Maria shook her head, "No but he's always worried about the bullfights. Joaquin even once told me that he wishes he still has the Medal of Everlasting Life so he could give it to Manolo." She gave a genuine laugh, "You should have seen Manolo's face. He started a huge lecture on how that medal caused all this misfortune and how he should never wish for that medal to come into their hands ever again, or anyone's for that matter." She nudged Mary's side and stood up. "Come on, there's a party and I don't want to go alone."

Mary nodded and followed Maria and Chuy out of the balcony. They lost one another in the crowd but Mary need not worry that she would get lost, it seemed that everyone was heading to the same party.

It turned out that the party was back at Maria's mansion. She walked inside and saw the entire place changed. Festive banners were hung from the ceiling and the tables she spotted from the back side of the house earlier were moved so they covered most of the floor. The mariachi brothers were playing a merry tune as couples danced in an open space next to them. On the other side of the room was a long table filled with all kinds of food. She spotted Chuy helping himself to the party's small sandwiches, much to the disapproval of the nuns standing near him.

Mary looked for Maria and saw that the younger woman was talking to Manolo. The matador seemed perfectly fine, save for the white bandage covering his lower left side. He laughed at something Maria had said and patted his side with a slight wince. Joaquin walked over to the couple with a plate filled to the brim with different fruits. Manolo took some grapes off of Joaquin's plate. Joaquin did not seem to mind, he offered some food to Maria as well.

Maria shook her head and spotted the older woman on the other side of the room. She gestured for her to join them with a smile. Mary strolled over and nodded towards Manolo's bandage. "How do you feel?" she asked.

Manolo glanced at his wound with a shrug. "I'm just grateful that it isn't that deep, it could have been a lot worse," he added with a glare when Joaquin scoffed. The hero of the town looked down at his food with a grimace. Manolo only sighed and threw an arm around his friend's shoulders. Joaquin jumped at the sudden contact and glanced worryingly at the bandage. The matador stole more grapes from Joaquin's plate, "It's a party brother, enjoy it."

Mary thought that she saw a light blush spreading across Joaquin's cheeks. Before she could look closer, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Maria pointed her thumb at the buffet with a grin. Mary glanced back at the two men, who were somehow now in a heated debate whether bulls were safe or not, before nodding at Maria. They walked over to the buffet and Mary grabbed one of the ready glasses of wine. Maria shooed Chuy away from the food before grabbing a glass herself.

After half of her wine was gone, Mary looked over at party. "Do you have parties this big all the time?"

Maria shrugged. "Not always, but everyone wants to see how the Hero of the Ring is."

"It's kind of loud," Mary commented, "and crowded."

"I couldn't agree more," Maria said with a laugh. She slipped her hand into Mary's easily. "Come on, let's go to the library."

Mary glanced down at their joined hands before nodding with a grin. She allowed Maria to lead her through the room with such ease that it was obvious that Maria had plenty of practice of weaving in and out of a crowd.

Soon, the voices of the party softened until only the mariachi brothers could be heard. The two women went into the library, leaving the door opened only long enough so Chuy, who had followed them, could slip through.

Maria took the spot Mary had saw her earlier that day, her fingertips running across the cover of Moby Dick. Mary sat down in the loveseat right in front of Maria. Chuy hopped up next to the younger woman, resting his head on her lap.

Mary took a sip of her glass as she studied the woman in front of her. Maria met the gaze with a slight smirk as she patted Chuy's head. "Why are you staring at me?" Maria asked as she finished her glass.

The older woman shrugged, noticing how there was a slight slur to Maria's voice. "How many glasses have you had?" she asked.

Maria simply grinned mischievously. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess I needed one after today," the grin grew as she added, "or a few."

Mary rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh but her eyes were alight with humor. "Today was a very exciting day." She swirled the wine in her glass before taking a sip of it, sighing as the alcohol left a soothing burn down her throat.

Maria gave a noncommittal hum, glancing down to the book. Mary saw that the younger woman's cheeks were flushed but supposed it must have been from all the alcohol she consumed.

It seemed as if Maria had gotten her thoughts in order because she looked back up. "Although it could have been better."

"Manolo says that the cut isn't deep so he'll be all right," Mary assured Maria, thinking that the younger woman was talking about her husband.

Maria shook her head. "I know but I'm not talking about Manolo. The door finally fell over today at the orphanage." Maria looked down at the empty glass sadly. "It's hurricane season next month and if the orphanage floods, I'm not sure what we're going to do."

Mary thought for a moment before suggesting, "What if we donate money to the nuns so they can hire someone to fix the building?"

"I can't. No matter how many times I try, they won't accept a single peso from me!" Maria said a little angrily. Mary quickly leaned over and plucked the glass from Maria's hands before the younger woman dropped it in her anger. Maria looked down at her empty hands, confused as to where her glass had gone for a second before continuing. "It's all that gato grasa's fault!" Mary's face must have shown her confusion because Maria said bitterly, "The orphanage used to be owned by corrupt people. A rich family would pretend to volunteer as teachers and give 'donations' to the staff. In reality, the family was paying them off so they could borrow the children to work on their farms." Maria's face twisted in disgust, "It's said that the children came back to the orphanage covered in cuts and bruises but not a single staff member did anything about it. Eventually, it became public what the orphanage and that family were doing. Both got run out of town." Chuy gave an approving snort. "After that, the orphanage went to the nuns and it became policy that none of the volunteers are allowed to give any money."

"That's terrible," Mary whispered.

Maria nodded in agreement. The younger woman looked very drowsy after her rant, her head resting against the couch as the hand petting Chuy stilled. Mary grinned as Maria's eyes fluttered close for a second before her breathing evened out and her head loll back against the seat. Chuy glanced back up before yawning and moving into a more comfortable position.

Mary got up from her seat and strolled over to the two. She snapped her fingers and La Muerte stood in the middle of the library. Chuy only raised his head sleepily, his eyes blinking slowly, trying to comprehend why the goddess was standing in front of him instead of Mary. La Muerte grinned down at him and twirled her hand once, a blanket appearing out of thin air and floating slowly down to cover Maria and Chuy. The pig grunted thanks and buried his body under the blanket to get warm.

La Muerte glanced at Maria who was now smiling softly in her sleep. The younger woman murmured something under her breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "Mary." La Muerte shook her head with a smile as she disappeared in a cloud of marigold petals. She appeared in her castle, the small smile still on her face. She sat down in her throne and twirled her hand, summoning a gold goblet filled with wine from the air. She took a sip from the goblet and tapped out the same tune the mariachi brothers were playing at the party. "Tomorrow is going to be so much fun," she said to herself.

* * *

Author's notes

Before anyone demands my head on a spike, there was a reason why Manolo got hurt by the bull. Carlos had various scratches on his body and even a chunk missing from his side. I thought it spoke to Manolo's character if he got hurt and to show that even when the bull hurts him, he knows that they are still intelligent creatures that are able to feel compassion. Sorry if I made anyone uncomfortable for it! Also gato grasa means fat cat…. I think. I don't know a lot of Spanish


	7. and so I shower you with gifts

Author's notes

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING; Not the Book of Life or its characters

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Mary walked quickly through the streets, smiling as she hummed a random tune. A bundle wrapped in yellow paper was tucked neatly under her arm. Even the weather reflected her good mood, the sun shined down on her with warm rays without a single cloud to block it. She grinned as she saw the ruined orphanage loom in front of her. Maria was not joking; there was no door that protected the inside of the orphanage from nature's wrath.

The woman walked into the orphanage and weaved through the crowds of children. She walked straight to the Principal's Office, having learned where it was from Maria a few days ago.

She saw the priest sit in a chair not that better than the ones the children have. He was reviewing some paperwork with a deep frown. Mary saw him heave a great sigh and tried to rub away the lines in his forehead.

Mary cleared her throat and the priest smiled tiredly at her. "Come in, come in. How may I help you?" He gestured to the ancient seat in front of his desk.

Instead of sitting in the chair and risk it breaking under her small weight, Mary stood in front of the desk. "I would like to make a donation," she said professionally.

The priest grinned as his eyes shined with gratitude and glanced down at the paperwork he left on the desk. "Thank you so much for your generosity. As you can probably see, we need all the help we can get."

Mary nodded and gave the man the bundle. Confused, but intrigued, the man opened the package and glanced inside. He sat rigid in his seat and stared at the contents of the bundle. He glanced up at Mary and back down. The priest gulped loudly and took out the wad of pesos. He thumbed the money and stopped counting at halfway through. "T-this is your donation?" he asked, still staring at the bills in wonder.

"Is that enough? I can give you more if you like," Mary said worryingly.

The man gulped again and shook his head. "No, this amount," tears sprang to the priest's eyes as ideas ran rampant in his head, "the orphanage could be rebuilt from scratch! And still have enough left over to refurnish the entire school twice over!" He jumped out of his seat and clasped Mary's hand, shaking it as if his life depended on it. "Thank you miss! Thank you!"

Mary grinned and waved the thanks away. "It is nothing sir. I just want to make sure the children are well taken care of."

"Yes, thanks to you, they'll all live like kings and queens!" The priest looked at the paperwork he was viewing over and slapped a hand over it. "We can pay for the new door! And a roof! And desks! And boards! A-and beds! Oh the children will live in comfort and want for nothing!" The man was practically shaking with excitement. He grasped Mary's hand again, "Thank you miss! I-I have to tell the nuns and dear Mrs. Posada that their prayers have been answered!"

Mary grinned widely, but it was not because she had just donated a large sum of money to a good cause. She watched the priest scurry out and followed him out of the room in a more leisure pace. She walked towards the exit, imagining what the orphanage will look like in a few week's time.

She had just turned the corner to walk to the cemetery and go to the Land of the Remembered when she heard someone running towards her. She looked over her shoulder to see Maria stopping behind her, breathing hard. Maria managed to gasp out, "T-the priest. He. You. Donation."

Mary smiled and nodded, waiting patiently for the younger woman to catch her breath. What the young woman did next surprised Mary so much that she did not do anything to stop her. Maria pulled Mary into a tight embrace, her face buried in the older woman's neck. When she pulled back, Maria beamed at Mary. "Is it true?" her voice wavered only a little bit at the end, but it was still filled with awe and gratitude.

Mary simply nodded with a grin and gasped in shock as she was pulled into another hug. She returned it with a moment of hesitation. When the hug ended, Mary noticed that there was a slight flush in Maria's cheeks.

"I have no idea what to say but thank you," Maria said. She looked back to the direction of the orphanage before looking back at Mary. "I don't know what we would have done without you. There must be a way for me to repay you." Her eyes brightened as she gasped. "I know, we can go get lunch, it'll be my treat."

The older woman nodded, wondering if that flash of fear of rejection she saw in Maria's eyes was just her imagination. Maria grinned and grabbed Mary's hand gently, guiding her down the street. "Don't you still have work?" Mary asked, realizing that the younger woman might be playing hookie.

"Nope. After the big announcement of your donation, all of the nuns decided to give the children a treat and let them go off and play." Maria bumped shoulders playfully with Maria, "So now I have nothing to do for the rest of the day."

"Well, I suppose you'll just have to indulge me," Mary replied slyly. Once again, she thought she saw Maria's cheeks flush slightly as the younger woman tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, we're here." Maria let go of Mary's hand and hurried over to the hostess, whispering low enough so Mary could not hear. The hostess gave Maria an odd look but signaled for the two to follow her. The hostess led Mary and Maria to a secluded part of the restaurant that had a clear view of the chapel. Both women sat down and the hostess walked away without another glance.

Maria played with her wedding ring for a bit before the waitress came and got their drink orders. They ordered wine with a secret grin. Maria glanced up at Mary who nodded encouragingly. "I know you have something on your mind, what is it?" Mary asked.

"How did you know I wanted to ask something?" Maria questioned, the fingers stilling on her ring.

The older woman gestured towards the ring. "You keep playing with your wedding ring when you're nervous or have something on your mind." She tilted her head with a slight frown. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

Maria quickly shook her head no but after a moment she glanced down and nodded once. She looked up, "Where did you get that money?"

Mary was not expecting that question. She had hoped that Maria would just accept that she had made a sizable donation and leave it at that. Thinking about it now, Mary realized she should have seen this coming. Deciding to play it cool and to buy herself some time, she said, "I am the banditos new leader." She shrugged as if it was not a big deal.

Maria stared at her in such horror that Mary held up both hands. "That was a joke!" She saw the relief in Maria's face. "I come from a wealthy family."

"Then what are you doing in San Angel for? Surely your husband would have left you more than enough of money." Mary could not tell if she had imagined the bitterness in Maria's voice or not.

"I find that I like the view and the people," Mary replied, taking great care not to give anything away. She felt guilt stir in her belly but she had forgotten why it was there. "And I would like to see that man try to take any of my riches."

"How are you and your husband anyway?" Maria asked, glancing away from Mary's eyes.

Luckily, the older woman was saved from saying an unreasonable lie when the waitress came with their drinks. As they ordered their food, Mary searched for a logical answer, once again feeling the guilt rear up deep in her belly. She took a sip from her glass of wine to gain courage as she said, "We are still on bad terms, I doubt that we will see eye-to-eye ever again."

It disturbed Mary to think that a year prior, that statement was extremely accurate. A part of her wondered if it was still correct.

An emotion not unlike relief fluttered in Maria's eyes but for a moment before she looked downcast at her drink. "I'm sorry to hear that." A hint of shame was laced through the words although Mary had no idea why Maria would be ashamed of anything.

The two continued to talk about Mary's past, Mary feeling guiltier with every lie she said about her nonexistent family. The food could not have come fast enough and when it finally arrived, Mary was so grateful that she did not hesitate to start eating, taking a generous drink from her wine to sooth her burning tongue a moment later. She glared halfheartedly at Maria who had giggled.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed," Maria said as she made a show of blowing the steam off of her food before putting it in her mouth.

Mary was just glad that the subject of her 'family' was dropped. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes, this time Mary savoring the food. Mary glanced back up at Maria, "How is Manolo doing?"

Maria shrugged. "He's doing okay and his wound is healing nicely. It's like he said, it could have been a lot worse," she said with a shudder.

Mary nodded in agreement and took a sip of her wine. They became quiet once more as they finished their food. They left the restaurant in companionable silence, only breaking it to point something out like a drunkard stumbling out of a bar.

"How is Joaquin?" Mary asked as the two strolled past the statue of Joaquin's father. She glanced at Maria and saw that the smile that graced the younger woman's lips slipped into a small frown. Mary slowed down her pace as her eyes showed her concern. "Did something happen?" A sudden wave of protectiveness pierced Mary's insides and she was shocked at the intensity of it.

The feeling only dimmed the tiniest bit when Maria shook her head without saying anything. Mary watched Maria's face closely as she asked, "Did he do something to that bull?"

Maria's eyes widened in surprise, "What!? N-no, Joaquin would never hurt one of the bulls! Manolo would punch him for even thinking about it!" Maria said with a weak laugh. She looked down as she sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping under pressure that Mary did not know. "Joaquin wanted to put the bull down but Manolo managed to show him that it really was an accident. The poor thing wouldn't stop crying when he saw Joaquin's blades." Maria shook her head as if to rid herself of the image she had created.

"So the bull is going to be okay?" Mary asked gently, placing a hand on Maria's lower back.

Maria smiled gratefully for the physical contact and nodded. "Yes. He won't be able to perform with Manolo for a while but he's going to be fine." She brushed back a strand of hair and coughed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry for suddenly getting so emotional. This entire week has just been really"

"interesting?" May suggested when Maria led off.

"Yeah," Maria agreed. She looked up and saw the sun had moved quite a bit as they had their lunch and walk. She stopped and clasped her hands in front of her, grinning. "Manolo and Joaquin will probably want to thank you too once I tell them what you did. How about you come over for dinner tomorrow night? We'll cook for you."

Mary tilted her head to the side with a sly grin. "I thought lunch was my thank you."

Maria waved the statement away. "That was _my_ thank you, this will be theirs."

"So wait, I help your orphanage and you take me out to lunch, without lifting a single finger to prepare the food I might add, and Manolo and Joaquin are going to slave away for hours making me dinner," Mary teased, delighted in the way Maria smirked and narrowed her eyes at the jest. "Doesn't that seem a little unfair?"

The younger woman looked up into the sky as she pretended to think with an innocent expression. She grinned mischievously a moment later as she shook her head. "No, but I suppose they just want to impress you more than I do." Her eyes widened in horror at her choice of words for but a moment but that moment was all that Mary needed.

Mary stepped closer to Maria and touched her arm, smiling a little when the other woman visibly relaxed at the simple touch. She tried to think of what Maria could possibly mean by what she said and she chuckled when she reached a conclusion. "Is Joaquin trying to impress me?"

Maria looked even more shocked at that question than when Mary had asked if the man had done something to the bulls. After a few moments she recovered and gave a wary laugh. "Perhaps," she said lamely. The mischievous grin was back, however it did not erase the surprised expression that Mary say before. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow night?"

The older woman gave a nod. "I'll see you then."

Maria grinned, this time a genuine one, and began to walk away. Mary watched her go as she replayed Maria's strange behavior over in her head. She was certain that she had done something to cause the weird reactions from her friend but she could not figure out why.

After Maria had left her sight, Mary shrugged and turned to walk towards the cemetery. _Oh well,_ she thought to herself. She will figure it out eventually but probably not right now. Her mind was too occupied with thoughts on what Joaquin and Manolo could possibly be cooking for her and her stomach was too filled with excitement over having dinner with Maria the following evening.


	8. Come away with me

I wonder if there's a pizza flavored ice cream

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING; NOT THE BOOK OF LIFE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

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La Muerte looked at herself through a mirror. The frame was completely made of gold with rubies and emeralds adorning the sides of the looking glass. Each rock was connected with extravagant swirls that were etched into the material. But the frame did not hold La Muerte's attention in the least bit, if anything thing it only made her more irritated with its everlasting beauty. She continued to frown at herself, her eyes roaming over her red dress and sombrero.

"This won't do at all." She waved a hand and Mary was now the one frowning in the mirror. She eyed her white skirt and blue shirt with a grimace, she could not wear this to the dinner! She wore the outfit all the time and Maria may think her cheap for wearing it at a formal dinner. Mary snapped her fingers and saw that she was now wearing a sleeveless red dress that ended at her knees. She wondered if she should fix the dress so the plummeting neck line did not show so much cleavage but after a moment she left the dress as it was. The color complimented her hair and she brushed her hand against the left side of the silky strands. When her fingers pulled away, a marigold was now woven into her hair.

She felt excitement curl in her belly as she snapped her fingers once again. A cloud of marigold petals danced around her being and she had to hold back the laughter that threatened to escape. When they disappeared, she was back at San Angel's cemetery. She looked around herself and saw that Chuy was not there to lead her to Maria's mansion. She did not pay this any attention, Chuy was probably taking a nap somewhere.

Mary strolled out of the cemetery and into the main markets. She ignored the stares that some men were giving her, knowing by the way they were leaning out of the bars to get a better look at her that they were simply a little intoxicated. However, one of them whistled at her and called out slurred catcalls at her. The man promptly lost balance and fell into the mud below by a gust of wind.

Sooner than she had expected, she was standing in front of Maria's home. The butterflies in her stomach did not go away, rather they only grew in number as she raised a fist to knock. Just as her knuckles were about to brush the wood, the door opened. She smiled, expecting it to be Maria, but was confused when there was no one on the other side.

A soft baying sound brought her eyes down to the floor. Chuy looked expectantly at Mary with something that looked suspiciously like a smug grin. Mary did not question how the pig had managed to open the door, she simply accepted it and walked into the foyer.

"Where is Maria?" Mary asked, feeling a slight disappointment at the fact that Maria was not there to greet her.

Chuy just gave a small grunt and padded away, going off to do whatever the pig did in his free time. Mary watched him go, wondering if she should have followed him.

"Who's there? Maria, is that you?"

Mary turned her head to where the voice came from. She was shocked to see Joaquin stumble through the right door, fixing his belt with a flushed and slightly dazed look on his face. He looked at her for a moment before his eye widened in horror. He gave a shriek that sounded almost like a girl's, giving Mary a slight start.

Manolo charged into the foyer from the door Joaquin just entered, searching the room for whatever danger caused Joaquin to scream. His appearance surprised Mary but his attire made her continue to stare at him. Or rather, the lack of attire. The man was only wearing boxers that had little bulls and hearts on them. They would have made Mary giggle if it weren't for the fact that tears were in the man's eyes as he finally noticed who had entered his home. With a glance at Joaquin, she saw the same tears in his eyes, along with fear.

"We weren't doing anything wrong!" Manolo yelled out, holding up his hands as if he expected to be attacked.

Mary had no idea what to say, or even what to think about the situation she found herself in. She was spared from any more oddities when the door behind her opened. She looked to see Maria letting herself in, the younger woman halting when she saw the two men and Mary in her foyer.

Maria glanced at the two men and then Mary, the same shock and fear on her face. "Mary, you weren't supposed to be here until another hour," she said lamely.

The older woman only shrugged and replied. "I thought I would come here earlier to surprise you. And perhaps help them with cooking," she added with a glance to the men.

Maria walked further into the foyer and stood between Mary and the two men. She looked back at them and noticed the tears in their eyes. She grimaced and her face turned stoic as she looked back at Mary. "You cannot tell anyone about them," she said, her voice faltering in the end.

"I – tell anyone what?" Slowly the mechanics in her head started to turn. She glanced at Manolo in his boxers back to Joaquin, who had not managed to fix his belt successfully. She finally looked back at Maria who met her gaze steadily. "Wait, Manolo, are you and Joaquin-" The tears that finally slipped from the matadors eyes confirmed her theory.

"Please," Manolo pleaded, Joaquin taking a step towards him, a hand raised above his arm like he wanted to comfort Manolo before realizing that he could not do so without making the situation worse. The hand fell back to his side as Manolo finished, "please don't tell anyone."

Mary saw the desperation in all three faces and quickly shook her head. "Don't be scared! I won't tell anyone." Everything finally clicked into place from Manolo's strange behavior to Maria's reluctance to talk about her marriage. Deep in the darkest parts of her mind, she celebrated but did not know why. She shook her head to get rid of the weird feeling, deciding to ponder on it later when she was back in the Land of the Forgotten.

Manolo's and Maria's faces showed their immense relief, Maria might have been a little more relieved, but Joaquin still looked doubtful. "How can we know that we can trust you with our secret?" he asked, his hand now firmly resting on Manolo's arm.

"Do you love Manolo?" Mary asked back.

Joaquin's chest swelled with pride as he answered. "Of course I do. Who wouldn't?" he added with a glance at Manolo.

Mary nodded in approval and turned her attention to Manolo. "Do you love Joaquin?"

Manolo could only nod.

"Then I don't see why you two shouldn't be together."

Joaquin took a step forward, pointing at Mary with an angry look on his face. Mary could still see the fear that resided in his eye and knew not to take whatever the hero was about to say to heart. "If you tell anyone about us," Joaquin jerked his head towards Manolo to indicate who 'us' was, "I will find you and arrest you for telling blatant lies about a decorated hero. And believe me, no one will come looking for you once I'm through with you."

"Joaquin!" Maria yelled, stepping in between Mary and the man. She pointed a finger in Joaquin's face and Mary was impressed by the immediate effect. Joaquin took a step back and did not meet Maria's eyes as the woman said evenly, "I told you that we can trust Mary and we can. So don't you _dare_ threaten my friend like that."

"I just want to make sure that she won't out us," Joaquin said in defense.

"She said she won't and she won't." Maria crossed her arms and even though Joaquin was quite a bit taller and stronger than her, Maria still scolded him as if he were one of her students.

"I swear I won't say anything," Mary interjected. She knew that she had to defuse the tension and fast, before Maria and Joaquin started to fight. She honestly did not want to explain to the authorities why the town's hero was beaten to a pulp. "If it makes you feel any more comfortable, I know what it feels like to be with someone and have people judge you for it."

Her words seem to have done the trick. Joaquin's shoulders relaxed and he no longer looked at Mary with fear in his eye. "Okay," he said slowly, "I'm sorry for assuming the worst of you."

Mary saw that Joaquin genuinely felt guilty for his accusations. She rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry about it. I understand why you are so protective of Manolo and Maria. They're good people."

She looked at Maria and saw that the other woman was watching the conversation with a small smile and the tiniest glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Is this the tight position that you were talking about?" Mary asked.

Maria nodded, the smile growing. "Yes." She looked at the two men. "I told you that we could trust Mary."

Manolo looked grateful, wiping his tears away as he grinned. Joaquin nodded and rubbed small circles in Manolo's back to comfort the man. "Now that, um, that is out of the way, we'll uh," a small blush covered the hero's cheeks, "go find Manolo's clothes." The two left the room.

Maria sighed in relief when the two men left their sight. "Even though I told them you wouldn't judge them, I was still a little scared that you would think that their love was disgusting. No offense," she added quickly.

Mary nodded in understanding. "A lot of people disapprove of homosexuals but there's nothing wrong with their love. They just happen to like the people of the same sex, that's all."

The younger woman smiled at Mary's choice of words. "That's exactly what I think."

"I can't possibly imagine what it would be like to be in love with someone who I can't be with openly." Mary looked at the door where the two men had left and felt pity for them but pushed the emotion away. They did not deserve pity, they deserve support.

Mary could have sworn that Maria had glanced away in shame but before she could say anything, Maria looked at Mary's dress with a small smile. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Mary said. "How long do you think it would take for Manolo to – um find his clothes."

Maria shrugged with a blush. "Maybe we should go to the dinner room table as we wait for them."

"That sounds good." Mary followed Maria as she walked through the door on the left.

Maria glanced back at Mary and smiled and gave a little shrug. "Sorry that you got dressed up for nothing."

"I wouldn't say that," Mary said. She looked down at herself and brushed away imaginary wrinkles. "I like looking beautiful."

The younger woman gazed at Mary's dress with an approving hum. She opened a door to the right and slipped inside. Mary saw a long table dressed in a pristine white sheet, the edges frilled. There were four seats situated around the table, one placed at the front of table. Plates with silverware were in front of each seat and on each of the dinner plate was a small bowl with a napkin shaped like a crane.

Already there were steaming plates filled of food placed randomly on the cloth. Mary could tell that there were enchiladas, a big bowl of cioppino, and a plate of tamales. There was a bottle of wine right next to a pair of old fashioned candleholders whose red candles set a relaxing mood in the room. All in all, the dinner spoke of untold hours of effort and Mary felt a little overwhelmed at the amount of the awe and appreciation that bloomed in her belly.

"Say what you will about Joaquin, but he can cook," Maria said as she eyed the cioppino with a look that spoke volumes of how good the dish must taste. "He wouldn't let anyone near the kitchen for half the day."

"Joaquin made all of this?" Mary giggled at the sudden image of Joaquin wearing a pink frilly apron shaking his whisk at Manolo as the matador tried to sneak inside the kitchen.

Maria nodded, still looking hungrily at the bowl of soup. "Yep, he said that towns that could not pay him money gave him food and shelter instead. After a while Joaquin started to cook some of the recipes the townspeople had given him and found he was really good in the kitchen." Maria patted her slim stomach, "I swear that I never had better churros than his."

"And you never will," Joaquin said as he walked in to the dining room. Manolo followed him, his face still slightly flushed, but he was wearing all of his clothes. "I spent days trying to perfect the recipe!" Maria looked like she was about to ask something but the hero interrupted her. "And don't bother asking what I put in it, Senora Garzel trusted me with her family secret and I am not about to dishonor myself so you could eat a dessert."

"I was just going to ask if we could eat now," Maria muttered as she took a seat next to Mary.

The older woman saw that the two were smiling and guessed that their banter was how they simply interacted with one another. It did not go amiss from Mary that Manolo sighed at the display as he sat in an empty seat.

Joaquin poured each of them a glass of wine and Mary hummed as she recognized the taste, it was the first wine she had shared with Maria. She glanced at Maria who grinned sheepishly and shrugged before taking a sip from her own glass.

A soft clinking sound brought her attention to Manolo who had his glass in one hand and a fork in his other. He set down the fork and stood, raising his glass to give a salute to Mary. "Before I begin, I should say that even though we have not talked much, I do know a lot about you from Maria." Mary glanced at the younger woman and giggled when she saw the vibrant blush that covered Maria's cheeks. "And," Manolo said with a chuckle, "from what I have gathered, your donation should not have come as much of a shock. Maria says that you are one of the most generous people she has ever met and after the actions of today" he said with an embarrassed cough and a glance at Joaquin, "I would also dare to say that you are one of the most kind and understanding person _we_ have ever met. We hope that you stay in our quaint little town for a very long time and get to know you more." It was Mary's turn to blush. Manolo raised his glass higher and Maria and Joaquin followed his example with grins on their faces. "To Mary Beth!"

"To Mary Beth!" Maria and Joaquin repeated.

Mary smiled with a blush, she had not expected a speech but she could not deny the little curl of honor in her stomach. She took one of the enchiladas and her mouth began to water at the smell that came off of the food. She took a bite and her mouth exploded with different flavors that went together so exquisitely. She did not miss the smug look on Joaquin's face as she reached out for another enchilada and some of the cioppino. Mary knew it was wrong, but she knew that once Joaquin passed on to the Land of the Remembered, she would try to get him to teach her how to cook these dishes.

The entire dinner went very smoothly. Joaquin and Manolo asked Mary about the town she used to live in and she answered as truthfully as she could. Mary felt the guilt at lying so easily but she knew it would not be a good idea to let her guard down with Manolo here. One little slip up and Manolo would recognize her for who she really was. Mary started to question her decision in weaving the marigold flower in her hair but when she caught Maria looking at it, she shoved the concern to the back of her head.

Soon, the food was gone and Joaquin left to get the dessert. Manolo watched as the hero leave the room with undisguised love in his eyes. Maria rolled her eyes good naturally at the love struck expression and whispered low enough so Mary could only hear. "Do you mind if I spend the night over your apartment. I think that Manolo wants more alone time with Joaquin."

Mary nearly choked on her wine as she laughed. Manolo looked at her in concern as she coughed. She waved away Maria's hand as she rubbed the older woman's back with an apologetic smile. "I'm fine," she said, frowning at the hoarseness of her voice. "And sorry, but I don't have a spare bed or couch for you to sleep on."

"Why would Maria need to sleep over your apartment?" Manolo asked as he regarded the two women with a confused expression.

Maria only laughed and schooled her expression to be one of innocence. "I was just trying to be considerate." When Manolo looked only more confused, Maria explained with an impish grin, "I just thought that you would want peace and quiet before you romance Joaquin."

Manolo only responded with flushed cheeks. He glanced at Mary, "Joaquin and I aren't always like that, I swear. You just caught us in a – uh"

"a good time?" Mary offered with a grin. "You two were just making love, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Maria smiled triumphantly at Manolo. "Told you we could trust her," she said, not bothering to hide the smugness in her voice.

"You never know though Maria," Manolo said in warning. Mary got the strange sense that the man was not just talking about his relationship with Joaquin. Confused, Mary looked at Maria and saw that the younger woman glanced away from Manolo's gazed with something that looked like doubt in her eyes.

Mary was about to ask Maria what was wrong but Joaquin stumbled into the room, struggling to keep the plate of churros out of reach of the jumping Chuy. "Maria, call him off!"

"Chuy, come here." Chuy looked between the dessert and Maria and decided that eating the entire plate of desserts was no longer his priority. He padded over to Maria and sat on his haunches, however he continued to eye the churros.

Joaquin placed the plate in the middle of the table, keeping an eye on the pig in case he suddenly charged the dessert. Everyone took a churro, Mary seeing in the corner of her eye that Maria had given one to Chuy. Mary took a bite and she quickly took another, it was so good! Once again she saw Joaquin's chest swell with pride. It was settled, she would ask Joaquin to be her personal guard and cook once he passed on.

Manolo chuckled and elbowed his boyfriend lightly in the side. "So Mary, I don't recall you telling us where you are from. What town did you live in before coming here?"

Mary stopped eating her dessert as she started, schooling her features into indifference. "I didn't say?" All three shook their heads. "Well, I was born in a small town near the capital. I doubt you would have heard of it."

Manolo rubbed at his chin with a thoughtful expression. "I could have sworn I heard your voice from somewhere."

"Are you sure?" Mary felt dread in deep in her belly. She glanced worriedly at Maria and saw the woman look skeptical, her eyes trained on Manolo waiting for him to finish his thought.

"Yes. I don't think we've ever met before but your voice," Manolo scratched his head, "I can't really explain it but I swear I've heard it before. You sound a lot like … like – CHUY!"

Mary was confused until she saw that Chuy had come to her rescue. The pig had noticed where the conversation was turning and ran up to Manolo and grabbed the man's dessert when he wasn't looking. Chuy ran to the other side of the table and sat next to Mary, chewing his churro happily. Mary patted his head, whispering, "Thank you," before looking back at Manolo.

Luckily, Manolo seemed more worried about his lost dessert than where he knew Mary's voice from. He plucked another churro from the plate and began to eat it, eyeing Chuy in case the pig decided one churro was not enough.

The conversation became more lively and away from Mary's birthplace. They talked about the food and how good it was, Joaquin beaming with pride all the while. They finished the dessert and Mary chuckled when Manolo leaned against Joaquin and yawned into his hand. Joaquin got the hint and bowed to Mary, "If you will all excuse me, my boyfriend wishes to continue our lovemaking."

Manolo sat straight up, blushing hard and glaring at Joaquin who only chuckled. Nonetheless, Manolo bid the two women goodbye and followed Joaquin out of the dining room.

"Are they always like that?" Mary asked.

Maria finished her glass of wine and gave a so-so motion. "Joaquin's being a little more open with the uh – intimate aspect of their relationship than usual, but I think he just likes having the opportunity to embarrass Manolo in front of a new person." Maria stood up and offered Mary a hand. "Come on, let's go to the library."

Mary finished her own glass and took the hand, allowing Maria to lead her to the library. A new thought occurred to Mary; the library was practically their place. The realization made her grin as they slipped inside the room. Maria took her seat on the loveseat and Mary the chair facing it. Chuy jumped up next to Maria and rested his head on her lap, licking his snout free of any sugar from the churros.

"Can I ask a question?" Maria asked, feeling that what she about to ask could lead to a very dangerous path.

"Anything," Mary said immediately. She knew that she should have chose her words more carefully but right now she found that she would answer Maria's question honestly, even if it meant revealing she was La Muerte. Perhaps she had too much wine to drink.

"Are you really okay with Joaquin and Manolo being together?" Maria was playing with her wedding ring again and Mary now noticed that the band was unpolished.

Mary thought about the words she could say very carefully. "Yes, I don't believe that it should matter that they are both men, as long as they are in love. If Joaquin and Manolo want to give their hearts to one another, then I wish them luck. It is hard enough to find true love without worrying about something as trivial as a person's gender."

Maria nodded as she considered Mary's words. She bowed her head as she scratched Chuy's chin, laughing softly as the pig's hind leg scratched the air. She looked up from behind her bangs as she asked, "And if Joaquin and Manolo were women?"

The amount of hesitation in Maria's voice confused Mary and she berated herself for drinking so much wine that she couldn't figure out what Maria meant. "I wouldn't care if they were women either. Like I said, if they love each other then they love each other. No ifs, ands, or buts."

Maria smiled at the answer. Her hand stilled and Chuy grunted in disapproval.

"Can I ask my own question?"

It took Maria a few seconds to nod. Mary could see the uncertainty and a little fear in Maria's eyes.

"When did you find out that Joaquin and Manolo were together?"

Maria let out a giggle, relief flooding her face. She shook her head with a smile, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Our honeymoon. Manolo accidentally called me Joaquin."

Mary stared at Maria slack mouthed, which only served to make the younger woman laugh harder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But you look so funny right now!" Maria clutched at her sides as she struggled to breathe.

"How can you make fun of that? I-I understand that you've accept that Manolo and Joaquin are in love but on your honeymoon-"

Maria lifted a hand to silence Mary's speech. "You asked me when I found out, not how long I was wondering how far their relationship went. I had some hints long before the honeymoon."

"Like what?"

The younger woman hummed at the memory. "The first indication that Joaquin and Manolo felt more than platonic love is when I first came back to San Angel. Manolo threw a bullfight in my honor but there was one moment that made me doubt whether the bullfight was really dedicated to me. The audience tossed roses at Manolo and he picked one up while the bull was distracted. He held it out as if presenting it to me, but his eyes were not on me."

"They were on Joaquin," Mary concluded.

Maria nodded with a grin. "Looking back on it now, I should have known that those two were destined for one another." She looked down at her ring with a small frown. "Joaquin should be wearing this, not me."

Mary made a noise of agreement but she said gently, "But you wearing that ring makes it easier for them to stay hidden."

Maria's eyes snapped up from the ring to rest on Mary's face. "They shouldn't have to hide though! If they're in love, they should be able to be in love openly, not hide it like it's something to be ashamed of!"

Mary did not know what she was doing until she already did it. She got up from her seat and hurried to Maria's side that Chuy was not occupying. A hand rested on Maria's as she looked her in the eye. "Life can be very hard for the living but you must remember that there _is_ a brighter future. Even in death," she added softly.

She knew that she said the wrong thing when Maria looked at her with an unreadable expression. "La Muerte," she murmured.

All Mary knew was that she had stopped breathing, her entire body tensing up. She stared at Maria, waiting for the younger woman to yell at her for lying about her identity. Even Chuy lifted his head to glance between the two women in concern.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Mary asked. She knew that she was in huge trouble but Maria did not seem angry at all. The younger woman was just looking at her with a confused face, obviously she had sensed a change in the older woman's demeanor.

"La Muerte said that."

"Oh, well the museum that I worked at had a section dedicated to La Muerte in the legends exhibit." Mary almost breathed a sigh of relief when understanding spread on Maria's face. She did not like lying to the younger woman but Maria could not find out the truth. Ever.

The realization almost took the breath out of Mary's lungs. Maria trusted her, even vouched for her to keep Manolo and Joaquin's secret, and throughout it all Mary had been lying to Maria's face. Maria believed that Mary was the most generous person she ever met.

 _But in reality, I'm nothing but a liar,_ Mary thought.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Mary must have shown some of her self-loathing because now Maria was looking at her in concern. Brown eyes stared intently into blue and Mary had to break the eye contact lest Maria saw the treachery in them.

"Nothing," Mary lied once more. "I was just wondering where you went for your honeymoon."

Maria did not look convinced but she answered nevertheless. "Manolo took me to Arroba." She looked down at her lap. "It was fun but after, well, you know, Arroba lost some of its magical atmosphere." Maria glanced at Mary before darting her eyes back to her lap. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Mary shook her head with a comforting grin. "No it doesn't." A sudden thought bloomed in her head and she smiled as excitement rushed through her veins. "Come with me," she said breathlessly.

"Where?"

Mary grasped both of Maria's hands. "Arroba," she answered. "You can show me that school you went to as a child and the museums!"

Maria still looked apprehensive. "Why?" she asked almost shyly.

"To make new memories that will replace the old. If Arroba means to you as much as I think it does, you shouldn't remember it as you do now." Mary made a gesture to all of the books that surrounded them. "Every novel in here has characters that all have that one place where they feel at home and I truly believe that in _this_ story, Arroba is yours, Maria. Please, let me show you that it is still your home."

 _Let me make up for my lies_ , Mary added silently in her head.

Maria's eyes welled up in tears of gratitude but she still shook her head. "I have to think of the orphanage, I just can't leave the children so suddenly."

Maria's excuse only made Mary smile widen. "Then we won't leave so suddenly. Give them a week's notice a-and we'll only be gone for two days. I'll even pay for everything, you know that I can afford to." Mary was glad that the joke earned a tiny but unmistakable chuckle from the younger woman. "Come on Maria," Mary pleaded, beaming when she saw the weak resistance crumble in Maria's eyes. "Come away with me."

"Okay." Maria finally smiled as she gave Mary's hands a light squeeze. "I'll go with you."

* * *

Author's notes

cioppino is a Mexican soup. I have not tried it but I hear it is very good.


	9. Please don't turn away from me

"Finally," Mary breathed as she stood in front of Maria's mansion, a small suitcase next to her. She knocked on the wooden door, shaking off the last bit of exhaustion. Mary wanted to pack her bags as a human, an urge she could not understand but was helpless to overpower. But after packing her bag once, she had to redo it two more times to make sure she had everything she could possibly need during her trip.

It was time for her and Maria to go to Arroba to make new memories. Mary had spent most of last week with Maria, the two women discussing what they should do once they've arrived in Arroba. Several times the part of Mary that was concerned with how much time she spent with Maria rather than ruling the Land of the Remembered would make itself known. The small voice was always pushed away once she reminded herself that she had the loyal Sanchezes watching over things and if something were to happen, one of them would alert her immediately.

Her inner rambling ended as the door opened to reveal Joaquin. The hero grinned and gestured for Mary to enter. "Hola Mary," Joaquin said happily. "Maria is just getting a few last minute things for the trip. She'll be down in a moment."

"Okay, I'll just wait for her here then."

Joaquin nodded and strolled off, presumably to wherever Manolo was.

That was another improvement. After the dinner, Joaquin and Manolo seemed much more at ease around Mary. Maria even confounded in Mary that the two were more open about their relationship now. The younger woman made a face right after and lamented playfully that soon she would have to find a place of her own or else she would not have enough sleep. Mary had regretted asking why when Maria informed her of the fact that the two of them were rather vocal when they were making love.

Mary did not have to wait long before she spotted Maria coming down the stairs, a cylindered pack on her back. Mary thought that the pack looked like something Joaquin would bring with him as he traveled to other towns. Chuy trudged behind the younger woman, a sad expression on his face. Mary frowned as she remembered his reaction to Maria explaining to the pig that the trip would only be for herself and Mary. The poor thing was absolutely devastated but after Mary told him that she would protect Maria for him, he cheered right back up.

Maria stopped in front of Mary and pulled her into a loose hug. "Hola Mary." She pulled back and eyed the small suitcase. "Are you excited?" she asked, brown eyes flitting back to blue.

The older woman nodded. "Are you?"

"Most definitely." The younger woman patted Chuy's head with her free hand, "Don't pout Chuy, I'll be back before you know it."

The pig did not look convinced but he raised his head to receive more petting.

Maria grinned at Mary, "Shall we go?" she asked.

Mary gave an affirmative and she opened the door for Maria. Maria grinned and whispered thanks before walking out of the mansion with Chuy in tow. Mary was just about to close the door behind her when she saw Joaquin and Manolo coming into the foyer.

"You didn't actually think that we wouldn't see you off?" Manolo teased as the two men join the trio outside.

Mary heard Maria mutter something under her breath but could not tell what she said and saw how the younger woman tensed up slightly at Manolo's question. "You already said goodbye," Maria said with a small frown. Obviously, the younger woman was not pleased that Manolo and Joaquin were going to see them off but Mary did not understand why. She simply glanced between the two, practically feeling the tension rising even though humor danced in Manolo's eyes.

"We did, to _you_ , "Joaquin laughed, unaffected by the charged atmosphere. Or maybe he knew what was causing it, Mary wondered. "We still haven't said goodbye to Mary."

Maria muttered something else that Mary did not catch but she allowed the two men to follow them.

Mary walked close to Maria, whispering so only she could hear, "Did something happen?"

Maria heaved a sigh and shook her head. "They're overprotected, that's all." She offered an apologetic smile as she saw Mary's confusion. "Don't worry about it, let's just enjoy our trip."

The older woman grinned at that. The group walked to the train station, stopping at one of the carts to get snacks for the ride. When they saw the train, Chuy whined and leaned against Maria, almost causing the woman to trip. Maria smiled sadly at Chuy and gave him a hug. The pig returned it with one of his front paws, whining low in his throat. "Don't worry Chuy, I'll be fine. I'll even bring back a treat for you."

It occurred to Mary that this might very well be the first time Maria has ever been away from Chuy for more than a day. She thought about Maria's honeymoon and decided that it was not _that_ big of a stretch to believe that Maria took Chuy with her.

A tap on her shoulder broke Mary's train of thought. She looked behind her to see Manolo grinning down at her. "Have fun Mary," he said, pulling the woman into an easy hug. "Thank you," he whispered as she gave the woman a small squeeze. "I know that Arroba hasn't been the same ever since the honeymoon and I beg you, make it her home again." Manolo pulled away, coughing in embarrassment as his eyes watered.

"I will," Mary promised.

It was Joaquin's turn to say goodbye to Mary. Unlike Manolo, he opted for a simple pat on the shoulder. "Maria has been looking forward to this for the entire week, so don't be surprised when you can't get a good night's sleep," he said with a wink and a smirk.

Manolo frowned and smacked Joaquin's arm. "Be nice," he said with narrowed eyes but on further inspection, Mary could see the mirth hidden in them.

"I'm just telling the truth!" Joaquin protested. He sobered and grinned at Mary. "Seriously though, I hope you have a wonderful time."

"Are you two done saying goodbye?" Maria asked. Mary noticed that the younger woman still had a hand resting on Chuy's head, not willing to break physical contact with the pig yet.

"Just about," Manolo replied. He gave Maria a hug and whispered something in her ear as well. Mary could not hear what the man was saying but when the embrace ended, Maria nodded with a serious expression that did not fit the happy atmosphere.

Maria held out a hand for Mary to take. "Come on, the train is about to leave."

Mary gave one last glance to the two men and Chuy. The pig gave a long whine as the two women boarded the train. They sat in their seats in first class, placing their bags in the overhead compartment. They were the only ones in their cabin and Maria took quick advantage of resting her feet on the open seat next to her while Mary sat in front of the younger woman. They chatted about what to expect in Arroba and Maria told her the sights she wanted to show Mary.

The train gave a sudden lurch that caused both women to jump. They watched outside the window as the train slowly left the station. Maria spotted Manolo and Joaquin waving at them, chuckling as she returned the wave.

As the train began to pick up speed, Mary noticed something was running along their side of the train. "Maria, look!" She pointed at the thing that was running with all its might as it barked over the trains gears.

"Chuy!" Maria gasped, moving closer to the window to get a better look.

Indeed, the pig was running with the train, barking all along the way. Maria opened the window and stuck her head out. "Goodbye Chuy!" she yelled with a sad wave.

Chuy gave one last bark and slowed down, watching as the train sped up.

When the pig could no longer be seen, Maria pulled her head back inside and closed the window. She sat back in her seat with a sullen expression.

Mary reached over and rested a hand on Maria's lap. "You really do love Chuy." It wasn't a question.

Still, Maria nodded. "He's more like a child to me than a pet," she confessed. She looked out of the window, chewing on her bottom lip. "I hope he doesn't cause too much trouble with me gone."

"He's a good boy," Mary offered. She was glad that her wording earned her a small grin.

"I know that I'm not supposed to ask but where are we staying?" Maria looked so hopeful that Mary had a sudden urge to tell her. That was another part of the trip, Mary had not told Maria where they would be staying for the next two days, only saying that it was a gift to show the younger woman how grateful she is for everything Maria had done since she 'moved' to San Angel. More than once, Maria almost got her to say the name but Mary kept her silence.

Mary grinned impishly. "Oh no, no spoiling the surprise."

Maria pouted and crossed her arms like a child would when denied a sweet. Mary only laughed at the gesture which caused Maria to frown even more. "But I will tell you this, I hear the view you get is exquisite," Mary receded.

This seemed to placate Maria and the two began to talk about what they absolutely must see. After two hours however, Maria was now sleeping as Mary read from a book she brought with her. Mary glanced up from the page she was reading and giggled at the sight before her. Maria's head rested against the window, her mouth slightly open. She would never peg Maria as a snorer but the soft noises coming from her were undoubtedly snores. Maria muttered something in her sleep and shuddered, her face twisting in discomfort but not waking.

Mary looked around her to see if anyone was watching. When she saw the coast was clear, she waved a hand and a silk blanket appeared out of thin air. An abrupt snort made Mary freeze, fearing that Maria had woken to see her use magic. But the young woman only murmured something in her sleep, nuzzling the window as if it were a pillow. Mary breathed a sigh of relief and covered Maria's body with the blanket.

Once she made sure the blanket would not fall off Maria's body, Mary settled back in her seat. She picked up the book and with one final glance to affirm that Maria was comfortable, she began to read again.

Mary felt the train slow down an hour later. She looked outside and saw that they were approaching the train station in Arroba. She marked the page she was on and placed the book back in her suitcase, with everyone starting to move around it was too dangerous for her to simply magic the book away.

She looked up and shook her head as she chuckled. Maria was still fast asleep, her head now resting on the seat headrest. Mary gently poked Maria's cheek, giggling when a hand lazily rose to swat away her finger.

"Maria, we're here," Mary whispered as she now shook Maria's shoulder.

Maria's eyes fluttered open and she grinned sleepily at Mary. She seemed confused for a moment, turning her head this way and that to look at her surroundings. "Wharwe?" she mumbled through a hand that was covering a yawn. Maria looked down at the blanket covering her body and shrugged as if her tired mind could not be bothered with figuring out where it had come from.

"Arroba." Mary would be lying if she said that sleepy Maria was not adorable. She saw the sleep leave Maria's eyes as they filled with excitement.

"We're here!" Maria jumped up from her seat, almost tripping over the blanket. She glanced down at the blanket with a confused frown. She bent down and grabbed it, looking around her to try to find one of the attendants.

Mary chuckled and reached out to grab it. "That's mine actually, I thought you looked cold."

Maria raised an eyebrow and eyed Mary's suitcase. "How did you manage to fit this in there with the rest of your clothes?"

Blue eyes widened as Mary realized she just made a mistake. "If you roll up your outfits instead of folding them, you end up with a lot of room left over," she lied. She thought that she would be used to the guilt of lying by now but it still made her stomach twist into ugly knots.

Luckily with her brain still drowsy from the nap, Maria accepted the lie without incident. As Maria reached up to grab her backpack, Mary waved her fingers at her suitcase, using magic to make enlarge the space inside without making the suitcase physically bigger. She placed the blanket inside and zipped the suitcase shut just as Maria shrugged on the pack.

They left the train and Mary began leading the way to the hotel. Maria pointed at different buildings and gave a personal story each time. Mary hummed when appropriate to show that she was paying attention and chuckle when Maria gave a particularly interesting anecdote.

"I had no idea you were such a trouble maker Maria," Mary giggled when the younger woman explained that _she_ was the reason why a sign that said _DO NOT CLIMB_ in bold letters was placed on the side of a building with vines growing on the walls of an old pub.

"I just wanted a better view," Maria pouted playfully.

"For what might I ask?"

Maria smiled devilishly at Mary. "So I had a better vantage point for water balloon attacks." Maria shrugged at Mary's raised eyebrows, "The boys were making fun of me! They deserved it."

"And why were they making fun of you?"

Maria's playful attitude dimmed to one of shyness. She played with a lock of her hair and glanced away. "I was reading about the history of the art in Arroba."

Mary smiled gently and bumped shoulders with Maria. "That is nothing to be made fun of. In fact, I would say that learning about the history makes you a bright woman." She looked around her surroundings and spotted a street sign. Walking over to it, she read, _Luna Road._

Grinning widely, Mary pointed down the street. "We're close to our hotel. How about we check in and you can show me your old school?"

"That sounds good," Maria agreed. She allowed Mary to lead the way, frowning a bit as she looked at the restaurants lining the road. Each looked more expensive than the last, holding fewer and fewer customers. "Mary," she asked, "where exactly are we staying?"

The older woman only chuckled and hurried her pace. She glanced behind her and could practically see the wheels turning in Maria's head. Mary turned the corner and stopped abruptly, Maria almost walking into her.

In front of the two women was the Lunar Hotel. The first thought that came to Mary's mind was that it looked more like a palace than a place where people stayed for weeks at a time, if they could afford to that is. The marble that made up the hotel was painted gold and the entrance was big enough to allow two bulls to charge in at once with enough room for them to swing their heads. Each of the five stories had a balcony in the middle, the railings carved to look like the teeth of a skull. The sign of the hotel was lit by at least a hundred candles and Mary shuddered to think of the poor person who would have to light them all at night and clean out the wax the following morning.

One glance at Maria and Mary knew the younger woman was trying to figure out how to say that the hotel was too much without sounding rude. Before Maria could open her mouth to protest at the fact that they were staying at a very expensive hotel, Mary grabbed her hand and walked quickly into the hotel. She nodded hello to the bellboy dressed in a pristine red suit who opened the door for them. He looked genuinely surprised that Mary acknowledged his existence and smiled at the two of them.

The inside of the Lunar Hotel was even ritzier than outside. Plush couches and chairs were strewn about in a close circle with a large rounded mahogany table in the middle of each circle. In the center of the room was a fountain that held a statue of a man looking down at the guests, presumably the person who established the hotel. The silver metal was obviously polished daily and the stern eyes seemed to follow the two women as they walked deeper into the lobby. Mary had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the statue, some humans could be so vain. Mary could count on both hands how many people were staying at the hotel. All of them turned their heads to look at the two newcomers and quickly gave a dismissive sneer at the fact that they were carrying luggage. They must have assumed that they were the staff who showed up late. One middle aged man even muttered something to his twenty-something wife, who giggled obnoxiously at the joke.

Mary kept a tight hold on Maria's hand as the younger woman began to move towards the rude man. Maria glared halfheartedly at Mary who only mouthed the words 'ignore them' as she moved further away from the rude man. She pulled the younger woman with her to the front desk situated in the back of the lobby. The man behind the polished wood looked down at the two and put the papers he was viewing off to the side with a heavy sigh. Once again Mary squeezed Maria's hand gently as the younger woman looked as if she was about to have a few choice words to the receptionist.

"Name?" the man said with a bored tone, not even bothering to look at the two women as he checked his tie.

"Mary Beth," Mary answered, her voice laced with irritation.

The effect was immediate. The receptionist's mouth and eyes popped open comically and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. He sat up straight, too straight to be remotely comfortable, and looked at Mary with a smile as if she had just become La Muerte, which Mary did consider. "Miss Beth, we weren't expecting you until later." He took out a key and handed it to her, his hand shaking somewhat. "The suite is still not ready for you just now but if you like, you and your friend can enjoy the pool in the back. It's most refreshing!"

Mary glanced at Maria who was hiding her laughter behind her hand. Shaking her head slightly, Maria informed the receptionist, "Actually, I was hoping that we could drop off our bags in the room and explore Arroba for a bit. Would that be all right?"

A muscle twitched in the man's lips but he hid it with a gracious smile, however Mary could still easily read the distaste in the receptionist's eyes. "Of course it is. You can leave your bags here and I will take them up to your room for you."

"Thank you."

The two women left their bags with the receptionist who barked out an order. The bellboy that had opened the door to them scurried to take the bags and with one glare at the man and a smile to the two, trudged away to the suite. Mary felt a little bad for the boy; she had hoped that the receptionist would be the one to carry their bags. She made a mental note to leave a very generous tip for the bellboy and nothing for the receptionist.

As soon as they left the hotel, Maria burst in laughter. Her shoulders shook with her laughs and soon Mary joined in. "H- he looked so su-surprised!" Maria managed to wheeze out, leaning heavily on Mary for support.

"I know," Mary chuckled. "I thought his eyes would pop out of his head, they were open so wide!"

Maria hummed in agreement, still leaning on Mary slightly. She stood up and Mary found herself missing the body heat. Maria thread her fingers through Mary's and nodded towards the direction they had come in. "The school's that way. If you still want to go see it," she added.

In response, Mary began walking down the road, not missing the small smile gracing Maria's face. The two walked in companionable silence, simply enjoying the sun on their skin. Mary took in the beauty of Arroba, pointing out some of the murals that were painted on the sides of various shops and restaurants. Most of them depicted herself as La Muerte in the Land of the Remembered, frowning down at Xibalba who scowled back in his palace in the Land of the Forgotten. Mary felt a tinge of guilt at the murals, she and Xibalba had their differences yes, but she did not realize that the mortals viewed them as such opposites, forever pitted against one another. A fleeting thought whispered how in some aspect, the painters were still correct, she and Xibalba rarely spoke to one another, and in most of their meetings, they were wary and guarded their true motives from one another.

Mary's train of thought abruptly halted when she noticed that Maria had stopped walking and was currently looking at her in concern. A quick glance told Mary that they had finally arrived at Maria's old school. "Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts," Mary explained.

Maria nodded but still looked worried for the older woman. "You do that a lot," she commented.

Mary started, it was true that the past week she found herself deep in her thoughts, but she hoped she had eluded Maria's eye. Apparently not. Before the younger woman could ask what her thoughts were about, Mary walked over to the school's entrance. There were two columns made of old looking brick surrounded with vines that seemed to grow out of the stone itself. In between the two columns was a rusty iron gate, the sign with the words, "Convent of the Women of Perpetual Purity" welded at the top. Right under the name was a lion roaring at an invisible enemy. In front of each column was a little garden of various sweet smelling flowers. The flower beds were circled by stones, each the same size as the one next to it. She fingered the rusty iron gate with a soft frown, eyeing the lock that kept the gate closed. Looking over her shoulder she asked, "Are we allowed inside?"

Maria nodded and began prodding the various rocks that surrounded the gate with her boot. She rolled some of them over and back for a minute or two before she broke out in a triumph grin. Bending low, she scooped up a rock that was situated in front of a white lily. She tossed the rock into the air once and caught it easily as if it weighed nothing.

It took Mary a bit longer than she would like to admit before she realized the rock must be a fake. Her suspicions were confirmed when Maria scratched at the surface until a key was popped out of its holder. She grinned over at Mary as she unlocked the iron gate. "The nuns had a strict rule that students weren't allowed to go outside after dark."

"So naturedly all of you did?"

Maria chuckled mischievously as she pulled the tugged the lock open. "Of course. The nuns knew but most of them grew up here so they understood that it was a rite of passage for the newcomers. They 'dropped' this key so we could sneak back in." She placed the key back into its hiding spot and put the rock snugly back in its place. Instantly, Mary could not tell which rock held the fake key.

"Are you sure that it's okay if we go inside?" Mary asked.

Maria only flashed her a grin and opened the gate, wincing as the metal creaked loudly. When she saw that Mary was still on the other side of the gate, she sighed. "Yes, we're allowed," she said with a great amount of exasperation, chuckling at the half-hearted glare she was rewarded.

Mary walked over to Maria, glancing behind her in longing. Maria laughed and weaved an arm through Mary's, tugging her along the stone path. "Don't worry. If the nuns catch us I'm sure they'll recognize me."

Mary muttered something under her breath but the building in front of her caught her attention. At first she thought it was a castle of some sort but after a moment she realized it was the church. Mary had to tilt her head back to see the tip of the roof. She grimaced at the gargoyle sitting there, his maw opened in a silent screech as he glared at the sun. She spied two more gargoyles, as ugly as the first, glaring at opposite directions. She guessed that each gargle represented each direction, the one on top of the church's roof for east and the two she saw for the directions north and south. She knew that if she and Maria were to go to the other side of the church, they would find the gargoyle that represented west.

Her eyes lowered to look at the stained glass. Like the ones from San Angel, Mary could just barely see herself as La Muerte sitting in her golden throne. For some reason Mary could not fathom, she felt a sense of resentment at the glass and turned her head to look at other details of the church. She noticed that there was some sort of expansion and unlike the church, the sides did not have any of the exquisite carvings or stained glass.

"That's where we have our classrooms," Maria said, sensing what Mary was about to ask.

"Why doesn't it look like the rest of the church?"

"Because this place wasn't always a private boarding school," Maria answered with a shrug. The two started walking towards the church as she explained. "The church was first built as a convent for women who did not believe they needed a priest to worship, or at least that's what the nuns told us." Maria leaned towards Mary and whispered, "I personally believe that they just got sick of their priest telling them what to do." Mary giggled at this. Maria continued, "After a while, they needed to find a way to get money so they decided to open up the school. The first students became very interested in the religion the nuns were studying and so they added the classrooms to the church itself. The old building eventually became the current dormitory for the students."

The two women took a left at the church, Mary doing her best not to meet the eyes of La Muerte. They walked for about ten minutes before they stopped in front of the dormitory. It was newer than the church but still had a worn feel to it. It was made entirely of brick with a mahogany door etched with soft swirls. Several of the numerous windows were lit, signaling that there were occupants inside.

Mary glanced at Maria and saw that the younger woman was smiling, lost in memories. Maria took a step closer and whispered, "For most of my life, this was my home." She looked down and played with her fingers, "I was so angry when I first got here. My father," she wiped at her eyes in embarrassment and Mary placing a hand on her shoulder for comfort, "he sent me here because he thought I wasn't a proper lady." She gave a chuckle but it was weak. "I guess he was right though."

The older woman frowned as she squeezed Maria's arm to get her attention. "He was wrong. A woman who would stand up and fight for her town is a woman others should look up to."

Maria sniffed and offered a small smile. "Thank you." She wiped at her eyes once more and nodded towards the dormitory. "Do you want to go inside?"

Mary shook her head. "No, let's go walk around a bit more."

Maria showed her relief on her face. "Okay." The two began to walk to the right of the dormitory. The grass was so green and dotted with occasional daisies. There was a lone oak tree in the middle of the garden which donned a sign that said 'DO NOT CLIMB.'

"Before you asked, yes I was the reason for the sign. I used to hide in the branches so I could escape the boring classes and just read. After a while though the nuns found out and they were so _mad._ " Maria grimaced and Mary chuckled at the expression. "They thought that making me take kung fu and fencing would be a suitable punishment. After a year I was the best student in both studies."

Mary chuckled as a sudden image of her fighting the leader of the banditos, Chakal. "For some reason you being good at fighting and swords doesn't surprise me."

"It shouldn't!" Maria looked up and saw that the sun had moved a lot since their exploration of the school. "Come on, it's getting a little late. Let's go before the nuns find us and run us off their property." Maria began to walk away and she looked over her shoulder at the older woman. "It's illegal for nonstudents to be on their grounds."

Mary's eyes widened and she stared slacked mouth at Maria, causing the younger woman to laugh. She hurried over to Maria, hissing in her ear. "You said we wouldn't get in trouble!"

"If we get caught," Maria said slyly back. The two women retraced their steps in a hurried pace, Mary looking over their shoulder in case a nun suddenly came running around the corner. She spared the church one last glance, frowning at the glass of herself.

The two slipped out of the iron gate, Maria locking the two sides with practiced hands. The two walked back to the hotel in silence. Maria only broke the silence when they walked down one street and saw an old building with two stone lions in front. "That's my favorite library; maybe tomorrow I'll take you there."

"I would love that."

Their arms were entwined as they entered the hotel lobby. It was as packed as it was before and everyone looked down their noses at them like before. Mary once again had to fight the urge to reveal herself and stop the rude people from looking at them as if they were inferior just because they thought the two women had less money.

The same receptionist smiled at the two but neither women was fooled. He glanced down at his paper with something that looked like agitation. "Hola, Miss Beth. Your room is finally ready for you and your guest. He will lead you to your room," the receptionist said as he jerked his head towards the same boy who took their bags.

Unlike the receptionist, the bell boy gave a genuine smile. "If you two would follow me."

Mary nodded in respect and followed the bellboy. He led them up the stairs to the topmost floor. She glanced to Maria and almost smirked when the younger woman looked at the one door in confusion.

"Thank you," both women said. When the bellboy turned to leave, Mary made a gesture for him to stay. "Here, for your help." She gave him a large tip and grinned when he took the money with ill hidden shock. It was obvious that he had not received many tips or simple thank yous. "What's your name?"

"Mike." He pocketed the money, his hand placed over the stuffed pocket as if he were to let go it would disappear. "If you two don't mind me saying, you are one of the kindest guests I have ever met." He glanced down and asked, "Are you going to tip the receptionist?"

"No, he doesn't deserve one." The bellboy grinned at this and left the two women. Mary looked back at Maria, "Close your eyes."

"Why?" Maria asked but she did as she was told.

"Because I said so." Mary gently grabbed her hand and opened the door. She guided Maria to the middle of the room and turned around so she could see her reaction. "Now, open them."

Maria did as she was told, her mouth opening in awe as she took in the room. She was in the kitchen with a glass table to the right of her. On it was a bowl filled to the brim with exotic fruit. Right in front of her was the living room. When Mary had first walked into the room, she thought for a moment that she was back in her castle. The walls were painted a soft gold with beautiful swirls of pink and purple, creating a skull with flowers for eyes. There was a lovely brown loveseat situated behind a table carved from stone. There were two doors, one at the left of the room and one to the right of the room, hiding the two bedrooms.

Maria paid them no mind, or anything in the suite. She walked to the glass doors that led to the balcony. She slipped outside with Mary following closely behind. The view even took Mary's breath away. The sun was setting, coating everything in a relaxing red hue. From where they were, the two women could see most of Arroba, the streetlamps shining the various houses and shops. They could even see Maria's school twinkling in the distance.

"Beautiful," Maria whispered. She rested her hands on the rail, leaning forward slightly to drink in the scenery. She looked at Mary in awe. "Thank you Mary, for everything." She rested her head on Mary's shoulder, smiling in content.

"You deserve this." _And so much more_ , Mary added silently in her head. She felt Maria tense next to her and she looked down at the younger woman in confusion. "You do," she insisted, "you have done so much for your town and friends."

Maria began to play with her fingers again as she chewed her bottom lip nervously. Mary took a peak downwards and was shocked to find that Maria's wedding ring was missing. "Maria, your ring."

The younger woman looked down, her train of thought apparently halted. She held up her hand so Mary could see the little tan line of where the ring used to be. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? I gave the ring to Joaquin; he should at least have it even if he can't wear it."

Mary found herself smiling as she pictured Joaquin and Manolo wearing matching rings. "That is amazing. Every time I think I know the depth of your kindness, you surprise me."

Once again Maria's bottom lip was caught in between her teeth as a vibrant blush spread across her cheeks. "No one has ever told me something like that before." Brown eyes stared into blue as both women smiled at one another, Mary silently giving Maria the confidence to tell the older woman what she was thinking. After a moment however, Maria's eyes streaked to the now set sun and then back to Mary. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She brushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear and coughed. "W-We should go inside. It's getting a little chilly."

Mary did not miss the flash of disappointment in Maria's eyes before the younger woman walked back inside. She glanced back over her shoulder, wondering what Maria was so nervous about. When she looked back in front of her, she noticed that Maria was standing in the middle of the living room, presumably waiting for her. "I suppose we should go to sleep then," Mary said with a kind smile.

"Yes we should, we do have a big day after tomorrow," Maria said, not meeting Mary's eyes.

Once again Mary saw the glint of disappointment in Maria's eyes, but they were also tinged with guilt. She nodded towards the door to her left. "That is your room. Buenos noches Maria."

She heard Maria repeat the parting back to her as she slipped inside her own room. She was not stupid, she knew that something was bothering Maria but she could not find any fault with their day, besides the encounters with the receptionist. She continued to ponder the sudden change in Maria's behavior as she took off her shoes, leaving them by the door. She stripped off her white skirt, bra, and blue coat, leaving her bare except for her underwear and white shirt. Mary slipped under her covers, sighing as she felt silk glide over her skin. Snuggling deeper into the bed, the woman fell into a deep slumber filled with old private schools and nervous Marias.


End file.
